Three Nike executives discussed a plan to pay Zion Williamson and Romeo Langford in February 2017 in order to get them to play in the company’s grassroots summer league when both were in high school, according to copies of text messages entered into evidence in a New York federal court Friday.
The intra-company Nike correspondence became public in New York federal court documents entered into evidence as part of lawyer Michael Avenatti’s defense against federal extortion charges.
Attorney Michael Avenatti Filed a Court Motion that Alleges a Nike Employee Approved Payments to Zion Williamson https://t.co/HvXKaOvgth
— SportsGossip.com (@sportsgossip) August 15, 2019
The copies of text messages and emails entered as hard evidence back up Avenatti’s claims earlier in the week that he could prove Nike officials Carlton DeBose, John Stovall and Jamal James were willing to arrange payments to players and their families in violation of NCAA amateurism rules.
Flip the Page to see the Text Exchanges:
