The worst kept secret in college basketball was revealed and flipped the sport on its head last Wednesday when U.S. Attorney of the Southern District of New York laid out findings of an FBI investigation that involved corruption, bribery and wire fraud throughout several major programs.
Four assistant coaches were charged with violations and the allegations that surrounded the University of Louisville to part ways with Rick Pitino, who had coached the Cardinals for 16 years and National Championship.
The scope of the investigation is wide and ongoing. The FBI has nearly an unlimited amount of resources and a desire to pursue its investigation. They made clear findings that were released last week is not the end of their digging.
Florida, and the school’s apparel sponsor Nike, is not currently under investigation. But White is apart of the college basketball world and the news last week still hit home.
“Last week is a little sobering, obviously. I feel for a lot of student-athletes involved and coaches and families,” White said Tuesday at Florida’s media day. “I don’t think it’s going to be a huge factor in terms of how many people watch college basketball this year. I don’t, again, going back to your term, just the overall health that I think of course there are some things in the sport that need to be addressed like every sport.”
Under former Athletic Director Jeremy Foley and continuing with current AD Scott Stricklin the University of Florida takes goes to great lengths to not run afoul of the NCAA regulations.
“You want to be careful with everything that’s said and who you have relationships with, and how you go about doing what you do,” White said. “As a staff, you want to be really familiar with the rule book, and you want to have an open line with your compliance department. Jamie McCloskey and Kim Green (Florida’s compliance directors) are really good at what they do. On a very regular basis, we’re in constant communication with those guys as a staff.”
“I think anytime that you’ve got serious conversations taking place about our sport and how to make it better, that positives can come from it.”
All White and the Gators can do now is keep its operation above ground and transparent. Maybe the FBI’s investigation will clean up the college basketball recruiting and the game as a whole.
Part of the reason that Billy Donovan left the University of Florida was because of what he saw happening in the recruiting world and on AAU circuits. The investigation is affecting the lives of players, coaches and their families in the present but it could lead to a better future for the game itself.