Duke Issues Statement on Zion Williamson Investigation
Duke issued a statement to Sports Illustrated addressing the implication that Zion Williamson received improper benefits before and during his Duke career.
A request for admission filed—and made public—in a lawsuit against Williamson by a former marketing agent asked the Duke one-and-done star and current NBA rookie to address allegations, including that his mother and stepfather received money, gifts and other benefits from Duke boosters and shoe companies to steer him toward playing for the Blue Devils.
Duke is the only school named in the portion of the request made public, and both Nike and Adidas are alleged to have given Williamson’s family benefits to steer him toward wearing their shoes or playing for a school that has a deal with their company.
The request for admission offered no evidence—it’s merely a discovery document meant to gather information prior to the lawsuit going to a courtroom. Williamson and his legal team will need to confirm or deny each statement. He can also say he doesn’t know whether or not a statement is true, or his lawyers can object to the statement being included in discovery.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski and Duke officials have previously said that they investigated Williamson and determined nothing had happened that would have threatened his eligibility. The statement appears to refer to that investigation.
"As soon as Duke was made aware of any allegation that might have affected Zion Williamson’s eligibility, we conducted a thorough and objective investigation which was directed by individuals outside the athletics department,” the statement from the university reads. “We found no evidence to support any allegation. Zion thrived as both a student and an athlete at Duke, and always conducted himself with integrity and purpose.”
