Avenatti has been accused extorting Nike for millions dollars.
Michael Avenatti has been embroiled in a large legal battle with Nike over allegations bribing high school and college students to join Nike basketball schools. Avenatti was arrested and charged with extortion in relation to his accusations against Nike. It is alleged that Avenatti attempted to get close to $25 million from Nike so that he would stay silent. Despite a lengthy legal battle on the way, Avenatti is not backing down from his claims and over the weekend, Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson has his mom became his latest targets. Avenatti claims that Nike paid money to Williamson’s mom so he would go to Duke.
In a statement to Yahoo! Sports, Nike replied to Avenatti’s comments, saying “Nike will not respond to the allegations an individual facing federal charges fraud and extortion and aid in his disgraceful attempts to distract from the athletes on the court at the height the tournament.”
Now that Avenatti has made his claims against Nike and Zion, the Duke Blue Devils are now investigating the matter. In a statement to The Chronicle, Duke’s Athletic Director Kevin White explained the school’s stance.
“Every student-athlete at Duke is reviewed to ensure their eligibility,” White wrote. “With regard to men’s basketball: all recruits and their families are thoroughly vetted by Duke in collaboration with the NCAA through the Eligibility Center’s amateurism certification process.”
Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.