NCAA Alleges Knicks' Dennis Smith Jr. Received Almost $50K in Illegal Benefits at NC State
By James.r
The NCAA's wave of misconduct allegations, specifically with regards to cheating and improper benefits, keeps rolling on. Its latest victim? North Carolina State University, where both the school itself and numerous former coaches are facing serious potential repercussions.
One of the more notable alleged violations is that former Wolfpack star guard Dennis Smith Jr., currently of the New York Knicks, received tens of thousands of dollars in improper benefits while enrolled at the school.
NC State allegations include more than $47,000 impermissible benefits for Dennis Smith, failure to monitor for school and violation of head coach responsibility for Gottfried. He’s now at Cal State Northridge.
— Dana O'Neil (@DanaONeilWriter) July 10, 2019
With Smith Jr. now a profesional, he himself can't be punished in any way. Instead, the NCAA is targeting former head coach Mark Gottfried, who now coaches Cal State Northridge, and former assistant Orlando Early. Both men are being charged with Level I violations, the most severe charges that can be levied against a coach.
New story with @PeteThamel and @DanWetzel: NCAA hits NC State with four allegations, specifically targeting former coaches Gottfried and Early. First Notice of Allegations in wake of federal investigation . https://t.co/EReYiyrcY8
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) July 10, 2019
We're sure there's much more to come from this inquiry. The FBI's 18-month probe into corruption in college basketball has already produced criminal trials, but the naked corruption and fraud in amateur sports is far more widespread to have been contained so tidily. Another domino has fallen. It won't be the last.