On August 16th yahoo sports reported a story that former University of Miami booster Nevin Shapiro, funded players and coaches with money that violated the NCAA bylaws. It was reported that he funded money to players and coaches in the program from 2002 through 2010. Shapiro who is now incarcerated for a 930 million dollar ponzi scheme, confessed to government officials about spending millions of dollars on entertainment for players on his yachts and large houses, jewelry, paid expensive to high cost restaurants, and in the words of Randy Moss, "straight cash homie". Shapiro also gave money to players for trips and even gave extra money to players who achieved bounties like, hurting a player from the opposing team.
Shapiro was also a co-owner of a sports agency, "Axcess Sports and Entertainment" where he used his money to recruit players to sign with his company. It was reported that he gave Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork 50,000$ to sign with his agency. Along with Wilfork (a former University of Miami player) Shapiro's company also recruited other Hurricane players like Jon Beason, with cash and other benefits.
The NCAA is investigating the allegations of Shapiro and if these stories are true Miami could face the death penalty from the NCAA. There has only been one other school to face the death penalty from the NCAA and that was SMU in 1987. This violation allows the NCAA to eliminate the involved sport for at least one year, the elimination of athletics aid in that sport for two years and the school relinquishing its Association voting privileges for a four-year period. This type of punishment can destroy a program and with the Hurricanes being a popular football school it may hurt the NCAA to have a program like Miami fall apart. The investigations have just started and only time will tell.
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