Stephen A.: Deandre Ayton Was 'Running His Mouth' About Being Paid at Arizona

ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said during Thursday's edition of First Take he heard from University of Arizona sources that Deandre Ayton was "running his mouth" on campus about getting paid to play for the Wildcats during the 2017-18 college basketball season.

On Wednesday, Mark Schlabach and Jeff Borzello of ESPN.com reported former Arizona assistant Emanuel "Book" Richardson was heard on a wiretapped phone call played in federal court telling Christian Dawkins that Arizona head coach Sean Miller was paying Ayton $10,000 per month.

Smith said on First Take the arrangement "wasn't a secret."

Ayton was one of the most coveted players in the 2017 recruiting class. The center was listed as a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 overall player in that year's group in 247Sports' composite rankings.

He averaged 20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.9 blocks while shooting 61.2 percent from the field en route to earning first-team All-American honors during his only collegiate campaign. Ayton declared for the 2018 NBA draft after his freshman season and was selected first overall by the Phoenix Suns.

Deandre Ayton: 25 Pts | 12 Rebs | 3 Blks

Although Ayton is a full year removed from being a member of the Wildcats roster, the alleged use of improper benefits continues to hover over Miller and the program.

In February, Schlabach reported a separate wiretapped phone call between Miller and Dawkins featured the Arizona coach discussing a $100,000 payment to secure a commitment from Ayton.

Michael McCann of Sports Illustrated later stated details of the phone call were "inaccurately reported" in the ESPN story, and Miller made a statement in which he denied any wrongdoing.

"I never have, and I never will [pay players]," Miller told reporters. "The one time that someone suggested to me paying a player to come to the University of Arizona, I did not agree to it. It never happened, and that player did not come to the University of Arizona."

Attorney Paul Kelly, who was hired by Arizona following the accusations, said there wasn't a "shred of evidence" to show Ayton or his family accepted payments from Miller or the school.

Miller missed one game during the 2018-19 season while the university investigated the claims but was then cleared to return for the remainder of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Ayton led all NBA rookies in ESPN's Value Added statistic during his first year with the Suns.