The father of a former star college basketball recruit claimed Tuesday that former Michigan football wide receiver Tai Streets paid him $5,000 before his…
The father of a former star college basketball recruit claimed Tuesday that former Michigan football wide receiver Tai Streets paid him $5,000 before his son got to college.
Brian Bowen Sr., the father of former five-star recruit Brian Bowen Jr., testified in federal court Tuesday, per multiple reports, that Streets — a former receiver at Michigan and the founder of prominent AAU basketball club « Meanstreets » — paid him the money while his son was a member of Street’s amateur club. Per Yahoo!’s Dan Wetzel, Bowen Sr. alleged Streets paid him cash while his son was with the AAU club, not necessarily to push his son toward Michigan.
Streets was a wide receiver at Michigan from 1995-98 and a member of the Wolverines’ 1997 national title winner. He went on to play six years in the National Football League. He was also a member of Michigan’s basketball team in 1997.
Asked whether or not Streets is considered to be a booster of the athletic department, or if Michigan had any knowledge of this situation, the athletic department replied with the following:
“Following testimony in a federal court today, a claim was made that a former U-M student-athlete offered money to a basketball player in exchange for participation on a youth team, » a statement read. « Integrity in the college basketball environment is an important issue and we will continue to monitor this situation.”
A booster is broadly defined by the NCAA as any representative of « the institution’s athletic interests. » More specifically, boosters are defined as individuals who have made a donation in order to obtain season tickets, participated in an organization promoting university athletic teams, made financial contributions to the athletic department or a booster organization, arranged for or provided employment for enrolled student-athletes, assisted with the recruitment of a prospective student-athlete, assisted in providing benefits to enrolled student-athletes or their families or have had any involvement promoting university athletics.
In addition, Bowen Sr. testified that he received money from both ex-Louisville assistant Kenny Johnson and now current DePaul assistant Tim Anderson. Bowen ultimately committed to Louisville but never made it to the floor as the result of a suspension in the wake of an FBI investigation into college basketball. He now plays professional basketball in Australia.
Bowen Jr., per 247sports, did not make any official visit to Michigan. The Wolverines were not considered a favorite for Bowen’s commitment during the recruiting process.
