NCAA to Question UM About Player Benefits

Former booster's promise of a tell-all book sparks NCAA interest

It feels like the good old days at the University of Miami at the moment, minus the national championships.

The NCAA is reportedly investigating the UM athletic department after a former booster promised to spill the beans about his involvement regarding NCAA violations at UM.

According to InsidetheU.com, the NCAA will meet with "people involved with knowledge of potential violations regarding impermissible benefits" Monday.

The investigation is the result of comments by former booster Nevin Shapiro, who promised in April 2010 to write a tell-all book about his experiences with former UM players dating back to 2001. Last year, Shapiro said he wrote the book because "once the players became pros, they turned their back on me. It made me feel like a used friend."

Shapiro has donated $150,000 to UM over the years, but is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for running a $930 million Ponzi scheme.

InsidetheU.com said former Canes Tavares Gooden, Devin Hester, Jon Beason, andy Phillips, and others could have been involved with Shapiro.

The NCAA has a four-year statute of limitations on violations, and one source told InsidetheU that there likely isn't any documentation connecting former players to Shapiro.

It helps that Shapiro is not exactly sitting on moral high ground, but nonetheless there are likely a few people in the UM compliance office sweating a bit more than usual this morning.

Contact Us