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Former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola testified in federal court Wednesday that he paid the family of former Arizona Wildcats star Deandre Ayton along with several other players, on behalf of the shoe company.
TJ Gassnola just testified in federal court that he made payments to the families of 5 players on behalf of Adidas:Deandre AytonBrian BowenSilvio De SousaDennis Smith Jr. Billy Preston
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) October 10, 2018
Two of the other four players mentioned, Billy Preston and Brian Bowen, were also recruited by Arizona.
The testimony does not implicate Arizona, which is a Nike-affiliated school, and Gassnola said it was meant to be a secret operation, suggesting that coaches and schools may not have known about it.
However, Wednesday marked the first time Ayton has been mentioned in the trial, the first of three that were scheduled as a result of charges issued in the federal investigation into college basketball. If Ayton were proven to have accepted an extra benefit as a recruit, it could retroactively impact his eligibility last season.
Gassnola became a government witness after pleading guilty in March, according to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports. He did not reveal dollar amounts but is expected to continue to testify on Thursday.
ESPN reported in February that UA coach Sean Miller discussed a pay-for-play scheme involving Ayton, which Miller vehemently denied after sitting out one game and four other days with the Wildcats.
An attorney hired by UA to conduct an outside review, Paul Kelly, issued a statement after the ESPN report that said Ayton had "consistently and credibly" maintained that neither he nor any member of his family received money or an extra benefit that influenced his decision to attend Arizona.
