It's A Slam Dunk: Take Steps Now To Avoid Tough Lessons Learned By Several NCAA Basketball Programs

The recent indictment of at least 10 individuals associated with college basketball should alert every university, and many businesses, to the importance of operating strong ethics and compliance programs and conducting internal investigations at the first sign of trouble.

On September 26, 2017, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption arising from an alleged conspiracy in which basketball coaches from several Division I universities conspired with outside interests to funnel money to recruits in order to entice them to play for their programs. While there will be a great deal of fallout from these charges in the days, weeks, and months to come, the first major aftershock occurred when the University of Louisville effectively fired Athletic Director Tom Jurich and legendary Head Basketball Coach Rick Pitino due to their involvement in the alleged scheme, by placing them on unpaid administrative leave.