COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The federal trial on college basketball corruption took a surprising move towards college football this week.
The second trial regarding college basketball’s bribery scandal began on Monday as former financial advisor Christian Dawkins and former Adidas consultant Merl Code — who have both already been found guilty of paying college basketball players — returned as defendants. This time the two are being charged with bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, Travel Act conspiracy and conspiracy to commit honest services wire fraud.
Marty Blazer — a Pittsburgh-area financial advisor — testified on the second day of the trial that between 2000 and 2013, he paid college football players in hopes that they would work with him once they made it to the NFL. Blazer stated that he paid players from Alabama, Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh and Penn State.
Blazer has already pled guilty to defrauding clients.
According to Yahoo Sports’ Dan Wetzel, Blazer told the court that a Penn State assistant coach encouraged him to pay former Penn State defensive end Aaron Maybin’s father $10,000. The payment would ensure that Maybin would stay at Penn State instead of going to the NFL, but he ended up leaving after two seasons anyway. The money was later repaid when Maybin was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2009.
Blazer stated that he also paid Hakeem Nicks, who was playing for North Carolina at the time.
Though he did not directly name Ohio State associate head coach Larry Johnson — who was a defensive line coach for the Nittany Lions during that time — Johnson would be the only person who was on the staff at the time that fits the description. He served as an assistant coach at Penn State from 1996-2013. In 2014 he joined the Buckeyes’ staff.
Blazer also stated that Johnson’s son — who was a running back for Penn State from 1999-2002 — was one of his clients in 2008-09. Johnson Jr. played in nine NFL seasons spending time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati Bengals, Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins.
Johnson denied the allegations when contacted by Wetzel, saying that the claims are “not accurate at all.” Johnson stated that though Wetzel did represent his son, at no point did he deal with him personally.
“I’ve been in college football a long time,” he told Yahoo Sports. “In my entire coaching career, I’ve never had anything like this said. I’m floored, I really am.”