Nevin Shapiro: Should We Trust Allegations of Former Miami Hurricane Booster?

The NCAA is investigating the Miami Hurricanes athletic department on the claims made by former booster and now convicted felon Nevin Shapiro. 

Should we be trusting these allegations made by a man in who has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme?

Shapiro admitted his wrongdoings there, and now he is coming clean on what took place at Miami.    

According to a report from Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro states that he spent millions of dollars over eight years, and provided Hurricane players with lavish gifts and services. 

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At a cost that Shapiro estimates in the millions of dollars, he said his benefits to athletes included, but were not limited to, cash, prostitutes, entertainment in his multimillion-dollar homes and yacht, paid trips to high-end restaurants and nightclubs, jewelry, bounties for on-field play (including bounties for injuring opposing players), travel and, on one occasion, an abortion.

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Shapiro also states who the players were and that at least seven coaches were aware of his actions. He mentions that at least 72 players, and 12 current players on the Hurricanes roster, received improper benefits, and that the school had to know about what he was doing. 

It's hard to believe everything this convicted felon says, but the evidence is out there. The report has countless amounts of documents, photos, phone records and credit card statements.

It's phenomenal journalism from Charles Robinson, and the NCAA is hard at work trying to find out the truth. It's going to be a while before any verdict is rendered, but all signs are pointing to the fact that the Hurricanes are toast.

The reason Shapiro is spilling the beans about all of this is because of how he has been treated since he left Miami. He formed what he thought were friendships with players and now he is left out.

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Some of those players—a lot of those players—we used to say we were a family,Shapiro said. Well, who do you go to for help when you need it? You go to your family. Why the hell wouldn’t I go to them?

I understand the public perception of me and that’s going to be what it’s going to be. My name has been dragged through the mud as much as it could be. But remember, when Jose Canseco told the truth about the steroid problems in baseball, he was considered a dirty rat.

Everyone said he was bitter, he was out of baseball, he’s out of money, he was this and that. But he changed the face of the game. I don’t care if I change the face of the game. But I’m telling the truth about what happened at Miami. It’s the truth. And you tell me, why should the University of Miami be exempt from the truth? 

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How he thought these guys would forever remain his friend is beyond me. He was paying these players, and that's all those young kids cared about. 

The evidence is there, and it's only a matter of time until the NCAA slams the Hurricanes. He may be bitter, but Shapiro has the documents to back it up, and Robinson's report showcases that the Hurricanes are done.

Shapiro says it best when he told Robinson why he did everything: "I did it because I could,” he said. “And because nobody stepped in to stop me.” 

-Eric Bowman