Report: Ex-Arizona Assistant Claims Sean Miller Paid Deandre Ayton $10,000 Per Month
An FBI-intercepted phone call from June 2017 revealed former Arizona assistant Emanuel "Book" Richardson reportedly told former Adidas consultant Christian Dawkins that head coach Sean Miller was paying Deandre Ayton, according to ESPN.
Federal prosecutors played the phone call, which took place on June 20, 2017, in court in New York on Wednesday as part of the ongoing NCAA college basketball corruption trial. In the call, Dawkins and Richardson allegedly discussed recruiting Ayton to Dawkins's management company.
Richardson told Dawkins, "Sean's got to get the (expletive) out the way and let us work," while discussing Ayton, reports ESPN.
"We'll see how Sean plays it out," Dawkins said.
"You know what he bought per month?" Richardson said.
"What he do?" Dawkins asked.
"I told you–10," Richardson said.
"He's putting up some real money for them (expletive)," Dawkins answered. "He told me he's getting killed."
"But that's his fault," Richardson said.
In February 2018, it was reported that FBI wiretaps intercepted a phone call between Miller and Dawkins, with the coach discussing paying Ayton $100,000 to make sure he would sign with the Wildcats.
Ayton played for Arizona for one season in 2017 before being selected by the Phoenix Suns with the top pick of the 2018 NBA draft.
The recordings played in court on Wednesday also reportedly included Dawkins and Richardson discussing how the assistant coach did not need to use $20,000 that Dawkins' company planned to give him to pay Rawle Alkins, according to Yahoo! Sports.
"Sean’s taking care of Rawle and them," Dawkins said.
ESPN reports that Richardson asked for Dawkins and his business partner Munish Sood for $15,000 to pay the mother of recruit Jahvon Quinerly in July 2017. Richardson reportedly said he would pay the mother, who wanted to move from New Jersey to Arizona, three payments of $5,000 and an additional $10,000 out of his own pocket.
Sood testified on Monday that Richardson, who made around $250,000 per year as an assistant coach, was using his personal money to pay recruits.
Quinerly committed to Arizona in August 2017 but changed his mind after Richardson and nine other men were arrested by the FBI in September 2017. The guard played at Villanova last year but announced in April that he plans to transfer.
