A federal judge will be asked Thursday to reconsider allowing Arizona Wildcats basketball coach Sean Miller to testify in an ongoing federal bribery trial after videotape was shown to a jury of aspiring agent Christian Dawkins bragging about his relationship with Miller and former UA assistant coach Book Richardson.
The video, recorded in the summer of 2017 on a yacht docked in Manhattan, included Dawkins, co-conspirator Munish Sood, confidential informant Marty Blazer, and undercover FBI agent Jeff DeAngelo.
For a half hour Wednesday, the jury was shown transcripts and video of the conversation, in which Dawkins, Sood and Blazer discussed their plan to launch a network of schools and coaches that they could control. The coaches, in exchange, would funnel players to them for professional representation.
MORE: Agent boasted he did business with Arizona coach Sean Miller in FBI's secret video
Dawkins is on trial for the second time in six months. A federal jury in October found him guilty of wire fraud, and he now faces felony bribery charges for, prosecutors say, paying college assistant coaches to funnel their recruits to his company for representation.
Star correspondent Adam Zagoria was in court. Here are his updates:
Government witness Marty Blazer is back on the stand this AM in SDNY but no further football payments have yet been discussed.
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
In an FBI-recorded video shown to the jury today Christian Dawkins quoted Sean Miller about making payments to Deandre Ayton during his recruitment: βIβm taking care of everything myself. I wanna bring you in. Iβll turn over everything to you.β
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Marty Blazer testified : βI understood that to mean he had been taking care of payments for Deandre Ayton. Sean Miller was taking care of everything for Deandre Ayton and his family.β https://t.co/Age5DfTlTf
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Dawkins on the FBI video: ββSean Miller has to know everything that goes on. I can call Sean and have a conversation like this is whatβs going on. Heβll talk on the phone about stuff he shouldnβt talk on the phone about.β
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Dawkins on the FBI video: βRick Pitino May be the only person who doesnβt know whatβs going onβ
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Dawkins on video on paying Book Richardson : βLike a Book, that makes sense to give him four grand a month because heβs got the No. 1 pick - every year they got a Top-10 pickβ
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
A screenshot of a Christian Dawkins text entitled βThese are my guysβ had Sean Miller and Book Richardson listed first. The list also included Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, Will Wade,Marvin Menzies and Kevin Keatts
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Thereβs no proof Dawkins made contact with all these guys but he was targeting them to funnel him players. Many other schools listed too. https://t.co/CbtjYDAiip
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
Defense attorney Steve Haney says heβll ask Judge Ramos on Thursday AM to reconsider asking Sean Miller to testify βand weβll respect the decisionβ
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 24, 2019
ESPN reported in Feb. 2018 that Miller discussed paying Deandre Ayton $100,000 to play for the Wildcats, and Miller denied the report in a statement he made six days later.
Miller's statement included: "On this point I cannot remain silent in light of media reports that have impugned the reputation of me, the university and sullied the reputation of a tremendous young man, Deandre Ayton, let me be very very clear: I have never discussed with Christian Dawkins paying Deandre Ayton to attend the University of Arizona. In fact, I never even met or spoke to Christian Dawkins until after Deandre publicly announced that he was coming to our school. Any reporting to the contrary is inaccurate false and defamatory.
