We’re in the middle of football season. Most years, goings on in the pigskin world are plenty to keep the people entertained and satisfied. But early Tuesday morning, the world of college basketball was rocked by a scandal involving several major universities and apparel manufacturer adidas.
Among the ten suspects arrested — which included four college basketball assistants — as part of the FBI sting was USC assistant coach Tony Bland.
News of his arrest apparently caught everyone off guard, including USC Athletic Director and Pittsburgh Steeler legend Lynn Swann.
In a prepared statement obtained by TMZ, Lynn said he was “shocked” by the arrest, but intended to cooperate to the fully extent with the remainder of the investigation.
“We were shocked to learn this morning through news reports about the FBI investigation and arrests related to NCAA basketball programs, including the arrest of USC assistant Tony Bland,” Swann said in a statement.
“USC Athletics maintains the highest standards in athletic compliance across all of our programs and does not tolerate misconduct in any way.”
“We will cooperate fully with the investigation and will assist authorities as needed, and if these allegations are true, will take the needed actions.”
With the arrests coming early this morning, the ice has only started to crack. More information will continue to come out of the course of several weeks, and we likely haven’t seen the last twist in this story.
If history is any indication, more people will become implicated, and those involved will plead their innocence to the eleventh hour.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
