10A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
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Gary Henley | Sports Reporter
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College coaches among 10 accused of fraud, corruption
By LARRY NEUMEISTER
and TOM HAYS
Associated Press
NEW YORK — Four assistant
basketball coaches from Arizona,
Auburn, the University of Southern
California and Oklahoma State were
among those arrested on federal cor-
ruption charges today after they were
caught taking thousands of dollars in
bribes to steer NBA-destined college
stars toward certain sports agents and
fi nancial advisers, authorities said.
The coaches were identifi ed in
court papers as Chuck Person of
Auburn University, Emanuel Rich-
ardson of the University of Arizona,
Tony Bland of USC and Lamont
Evans of Oklahoma State. They are
in federal custody and expected to
make court appearances today.
They were among 10 people
charged in Manhattan federal court.
Others included managers, fi nancial
advisers and James Gatto, the direc-
tor of global sports marketing at Adi-
das. Since 2015, the FBI has been
investigating the criminal infl uence
of money on coaches and players in
the NCAA, federal authorities said.
In criminal complaints, investiga-
tors said many coaches have “enor-
mous infl uence” over their players
and how they select their agents and
other advisers when they leave col-
lege and enter the NBA.
“The investigation has revealed
several instances in which coaches
have exercised that infl uence by
steering players and their families to
retain particular advisers, not because
of the merits of those advisers, but
because the coaches were being
bribed by the advisers to do so,” the
papers said.
Person was arrested in Alabama;
Bland in Tampa, Florida; Evans
in Oklahoma; and Richardson in
Arizona.
Person, the associate head coach
at Auburn University, was selected
by the Indiana Pacers as the fourth
overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft.
He played for fi ve NBA teams over
13 seasons.
A criminal complaint quoted
Evans in several instances bragging
about his ability to steer the young
athletes toward prospective agents
and advisers, promising them that
“every guy I recruit and get is my
personal kid.”
Evans said it was necessary to
use his infl uence over the youngsters
early in their college careers because
many of them are “one and done,”
meaning they play one or two years
of college ball before joining the
NBA, according to court papers.
AP Photo/Matt York
The Dallas Cowboys,
led by owner Jerry
Jones, center, take a
knee prior to the
national anthem at
an NFL football game
against the Arizona
Cardinals Monday in
Glendale, Ariz.
NFL anthem protests evolve
past Kaepernick’s original intent
Grown into a roar
By JESSE J. HOLLAND
and ERRIN HAINES WHACK
Associated Press
W
hat began more than a year
ago with a lone NFL quarter-
back protesting police brutal-
ity against minorities by kneeling silently
during the national anthem before games
has grown into a roar with hundreds of
players sitting, kneeling, locking arms or
remaining in locker rooms — their rea-
sons for demonstrating as varied as their
methods.
Yet people rallying to defend players
or decry the protests aren’t talking about
police brutality, or the fact that former San
Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaeper-
nick is no longer employed by an NFL
team. Especially after President Donald
Trump weighed in repeatedly to say that
players should stand for the anthem or be
fi red for their defi ance.
Before NFL games began Sunday, the
discourse had morphed into a debate over
the First Amendment, Trump’s insults, how
much the NFL has been paid by the U.S.
government for its displays of patriotism
and the overall state of race relations in
America. Support and criticism came from
fi elds well beyond the gridiron, including
NASCAR, the NBA, MLB, activists, jour-
nalists, entertainers and politicians.
Some worry that the expanded reason-
ing for the protests — fanned by the presi-
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dent’s incendiary stance — could dilute the
passion and the permanence of its origi-
nal cause, drawing attention to interactions
between police and minorities.
“The issue has morphed beyond that
because Mr. Trump has interceded,” the
Rev. Jesse Jackson said.
More than 200 NFL players and own-
ers — even anthem performers — found
ways to show dissent during pro football
games over the weekend. Raised fi sts and
other gestures came after Trump’s com-
ments at a Friday night rally in Hunts-
ville, Alabama, where he mused to the
crowd: “Wouldn’t you love to see one of
these NFL owners, when somebody dis-
respects our fl ag, to say, ‘Get that son of
a bitch off the fi eld right now! Out! He’s
fi red. Fired!’”
Trump’s remarks set off a fi restorm on
social media. Ken Miles, a community
organizer and entrepreneur living in Har-
lem, created a petition on Saturday around
the emerging #TakeTheKnee hashtag in
response.
“This weekend was just a reminder of
the role that power plays in this conversa-
tion,” said Miles, 32. “The president of the
United States leveraging his infl uence to
call out players exercising their rights is an
abuse of power.”
Doubling down
The topic continued to dominate dis-
cussion in sports Monday as NFL players
refl ected, NBA teams met with reporters
and Trump doubled down on his position
with tweets, saying the issue had noth-
ing to do with race and using the hashtag
“#StandForOurAnthem.”
“He doesn’t understand the power that
he has for being the leader of this beautiful
country,” Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron
James said.
Trump has rallied those to his side who
are less interested in athletes’ opinions than
a perceived lack of patriotism. The Ameri-
can Legion has called the protests and pro-
testers “misguided and ungrateful.”
“It wasn’t political when it was written
and it shouldn’t be political today,” Amer-
ican Legion National Commander Denise
H. Rohan said Monday. “Having a right
to do something does not make it the right
thing to do.”
Fans are also noting the mixed
messages.
“The original issue was police brutal-
ity,” said Myles Conley, 42, a sales consul-
tant from Atlanta. “The issue has moved
past police brutality. Now it’s … racism in
the NFL.”
Conley said fans watch the NFL for
entertainment and “now it’s turning into
an activists’ platform,” referring to domes-
tic violence, player safety, race and other
issues.
“All of these issues the NFL is making
part of their program,” he said. “No one
wants to hear that.”
Protesters have supporters as well,
including NAACP President Derrick John-
son. “This isn’t about football; it’s about
freedom,” Johnson said Monday. “It’s
about the ability of Americans to utilize
their constitutional rights without punitive
actions from their employers.”
Boycott
It’s unclear whether — or how — the
momentum will continue. On Monday,
Jackson called for a boycott of the NFL —
some African-Americans have been doing
that since the start of the season earlier this
month — and picketing at pro football
stadiums.
Some want the original intent of the
protests to become the focus again.
Congressional Black Caucus chair
Cedric Richmond noted that while some
NFL owners, coaches and offi cials put out
statements rebuking Trump, they didn’t
include why players originally felt the
need to protest.
“They are taking a knee to protest
police offi cers who kill unarmed Afri-
can-Americans — men and women, adults
and children, parents and grandparents —
with impunity,” the Democrat from Loui-
siana said. “They are taking a knee to pro-
test a justice system that says that being
black is enough reason for a police offi cer
to fear for his or her life.”
Jozen Cummings, a columnist at Very-
SmartBrothas.com, wrote in a column
Monday that the #TakeTheKnee move-
ment has evolved into an “all-lives-mat-
teresque, watered-down version of NFL
players and owners against Trump.”
“Kaepernick’s cause got distorted into
a protest about fl ags and against Trump
when it was never intended to be against
anybody,” Cummings wrote. “It was for
people of color.”
Seahawks showing rare vulnerability to big plays
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
RENTON, Wash. — One of the
hallmarks of Pete Carroll’s defenses
since he arrived in Seattle is that the
Seahawks simply don’t give up the big
play on a regular basis.
Allowing little stuff underneath
is fi ne and is part of the way Seattle
plays. But don’t give up the long pass
or a long run.
At least until this season.
Through three games, Seattle has
allowed three touchdowns of more
than 30 yards, including two long TDs
in Sunday’s 33-27 loss to Tennessee.
The Seahawks watched Rishard Mat-
thews take a wide receiver screen 55
yards for a touchdown early in the third
quarter to give Tennessee the lead, then
saw DeMarco Murray dart nearly
untouched for a 75-yard TD later in the
quarter to put the Titans up 30-14.
Coupled with Jordy Nelson’s
32-yard TD catch in Week 1 and Seat-
tle has already surrendered more
30-yard offensive touchdowns in three
UP NEXT: SEAHAWKS
• Indianapolis Colts (1-2)
at Seattle Seahawks (1-2)
• Sunday, 5:30 p.m. TV: NBC
AP Photo/James Kenney
Tennessee Titans wide receiver
Rishard Matthews (18) scores
a touchdown on a 55-yard pass
ahead of Seattle Seahawks out-
side linebacker K.J. Wright (50) in
the second half of an NFL football
game Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
weeks than it did in the entire 2014
regular season. And it doesn’t include
a 61-yard run by San Francisco’s Car-
los Hyde in Week 2.
“The thread is we made totally dif-
ferent, unique mistakes, but we made
a couple mistakes,” Carroll said Mon-
day. “And it really cost us. Really fi ne
running backs have been able to take
advantage of it and really maximizing
it.”
The fact Seattle has been so good
throughout most of Carroll’s tenure at
not giving up the big play is somewhat
remarkable. From the start of the 2012
season, the Seahawks have allowed
only 20 touchdowns of longer than
30 yards. In 2012 and 2014, Seattle
allowed just two TDs of that distance
in each season.
It’s helped that Seattle has had one
of the top secondary units in the NFL
featuring Earl Thomas, Kam Chancel-
lor and Richard Sherman for this entire
stretch. But when Thomas was lost to
a broken leg late last season, the Sea-
hawks suddenly became vulnerable in
the back. Three of the fi ve long touch-
downs allowed last season by Seat-
tle came after Thomas was hurt; one
coming on the play immediately after
Thomas’ injury.
But that vulnerability has creeped
into this season. Two of the touch-
downs allowed so far this season — by
Nelson and Matthews — have come
on plays where Seattle jumped offside
at the start of the play.
For their part, the Seahawks believe
the mistakes are correctable.
“I think the plays that they scored
on us were pretty much just miscom-
munications and being in the wrong
position and I think those are things we
can bounce back from,” defensive end
Michael Bennett said. “I think when
you make a mistake and we can go
back to the tape and see it wasn’t some-
thing physical, it wasn’t like we were
dominated. It was just miscommunica-
tion, a lack of concentration and those
are things we can go back and fi x and
that’s what we’re going to do.”