House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., and ranking member Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., have requested to be briefed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association and sports companies connected to a college basketball bribery scandal, following the arrest of 10 people in college basketball on Tuesday.
“The federal government’s investigation into sports companies and basketball coaches at numerous colleges across the nation is extremely troubling and puts into serious question the NCAA’s ability to oversee its own institutions,” the lawmakers wrote in a statement on Thursday. “In addition to any criminal activities, these allegations raise concerns about the effects of these predatory schemes on youth athletes and how hidden financial connections between advertisers and endorsers influence young consumers.”
They added: “We are requesting that the NCAA and the involved companies brief the committee on the actions they are taking to ensure that similar schemes are not happening in other sports, and how they intend to prevent it from happening in the future.”
The FBI launched an investigation in 2015 concerning the “making and concealing”of bribe payments to high school students and potentially their families.
Court documents revealed that several assistant coaches, financial advisers, and managers had participated in bribes to have coaches persuade students to join a particular school and eventually, use the same financial advisers, according to Business Insider.
The FBI is continuing to investigate more colleges, coaches, advisers, agents, and brands as the case evolves.
