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Ex-Kansas basketball player makes claim coaches KNEW about payments from Adidas in FBI probe

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Ex-Kansas basketball player makes claim coaches KNEW about payments from Adidas in FBI probe


Ex-Kansas basketball participant makes bombshell declare coaches KNEW about funds from Adidas that led to FBI investigation – as he insists he’s a ‘sufferer of a corrupt system’ and says faculty ‘put the entire thing collectively’

  • Billy Preston claims Kansas arrange a gathering with Adidas and knew that the sportswear firm was sending funds to his household throughout recruitment 
  • The college was a part of an FBI investigation into school basketball corruption 
  • DailyMail.com supplies all the most recent worldwide sports activities information 

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Former College of Kansas basketball participant Billy Preston has dropped the declare that the college and its employees have been conscious of funds Adidas was making to his mom. 

As Kansas was attempting to recruit Preston, Adidas affiliate T.J. Gassnola tried to affect his recruitment by paying Preston’s mom, Nicole Participant.

This was all topic of an FBI investigation into corruption in school basketball from again in 2018. Gassnola stated throughout stated investigation that he paid Participant ’round $89,000′.

On an episode of ESPN’s 30 for 30 podcast collection entitled ‘The Bag Sport’, Preston stated the employees at Kansas have been conscious of Gassnola’s funds.

‘They wasn’t blind to that,’ Preston stated. ‘They weren’t blind to that in any respect.’

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Former Kansas basketball participant Billy Preston says the college was conscious of unlawful funds

Kansas was in the crosshairs of an FBI investigation into corruption in college basketball

Kansas was within the crosshairs of an FBI investigation into corruption in school basketball

Throughout a sworn statement in 2018, Gassnola stated that he ‘made positive’ that Kansas was not conscious of the funds. The college launched an announcement in 2020, saying, ‘the College was a sufferer of Gassnola and [Adidas executive James Gatto’s] crimes.’

Preston pushed again on the concept KU was a ‘sufferer’ on this, saying that the college helped to arrange a gathering.

‘They ain’t no sufferer. They knew what was happening too,’ Preston acknowledged. ‘They put the entire thing collectively. They set it up. Like, KU was the entire motive we even met.’

Participant went on to query Kansas’s recollection of the occasions, saying her household have been the ‘victims’ on this incident.

‘Sufferer? If anyone was a sufferer it was the household that Adidas preyed on,’ she stated on the podcast. 

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‘We left the college and weathered the storm and by no means one time did I come out and say we’re victims. 

‘When the fact is, if anyone is a sufferer right here, we’re victims of a corrupt system. We’re a sufferer of school corruption, corruption that has gone on for many years earlier than us and can proceed to go on a long time after us.’ 

The trial stemming from this investigation discovered Gatto, former Adidas guide Merl Code, and former sports activities agent Christian Dawkins responsible of a mixed seven counts of wire fraud in addition to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 

Preston claims Kansas officials & staffers helped set up a meeting with Adidas executives

Preston claims Kansas officers & staffers helped arrange a gathering with Adidas executives 

Kansas remains to be litigating their case with the NCAA. The collegiate sports activities governing physique present in 2019 that the college dedicated 5 Stage I violations – probably the most severe degree of infractions within the NCAA.

The NCAA’s Impartial Accountability Decision Course of (IARP) remains to be dealing with the case – with Sports activities Illustrated’s Pat Forde reporting that KU had certainly one of its hearings over the previous weekend.

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Kansas head basketball coach Invoice Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend served four-game suspensions at first of the 2022-23 season primarily based on some findings.

The college additionally self-imposed some sanctions – together with limitations on recruiting for final season in addition to this upcoming season. Adidas stays the college’s athletic clothing store for its Division-I packages.

Even with the investigation ongoing, Adidas is still Kansas's official sports outfitter

Even with the investigation ongoing, Adidas remains to be Kansas’s official sports activities clothing store

Preston enrolled at Kansas in 2017 – however left in January of 2018 after being sat at first of the season following a automotive crash. Questions have been being raised about his possession of the car he was driving and the NCAA wished a clearer monetary image of the scenario. He had solely performed two exhibition video games for the Jayhawks and by no means made an everyday season look.

After leaving this system, he went abroad to play basketball in Bosnia to fill his requirement of being a 12 months faraway from highschool earlier than getting into the NBA Draft.

Preston was not chosen within the NBA Draft in 2018, however he did signal with the Cleveland Cavaliers for his or her summer season league staff – and performed for the staff’s G-League affiliate, the Canton Cost.

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He went on to play for 2 different G-League groups – the Erie BayHawks and the Texas Legends – earlier than ultimately persevering with his profession in Australia, the Dominican Republic, and South Africa.

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Previewing the Wide Receivers: 60 Days Until Kansas Football

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Previewing the Wide Receivers: 60 Days Until Kansas Football


Much like last year, we are using Sundays in the Countdown to the return of Kansas Football to take a deep dive into one of the 10 main position groups. Each week, we’ll highlight the key players to watch and give you an idea of what to expect from the position this year. This week, we continue our series with more of the offense. It’s another position that fans probably aren’t too worried about this season: the wide receivers. In fact, the situation is very similar to last season.

Previous Positions Covered:

Quarterbacks
Running Backs

2023 Receiving Production

Player

Receptions

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Yards

Average

TDs

Lawrence Arnold

44

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782

17.8

6

Quentin Skinner

29

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587

20.2

2

Luke Grimm

33

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555

16.8

6

Devin Neal

25

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217

8.7

1

Trevor Wilson

11

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195

17.7

2

Torry Locklin

4

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40

10.0

1

The Jayhawks came into the season last year without a clear idea of who their “#1 receiver” was, or if they even had one on the roster. While Lawrence Arnold seemed to be the most likely candidate, the passing offense the year before spread the ball around enough that it was hard to imagine any one receiver was going to stand out. But early in the year, Arnold was joined by Luke Grimm and Quentin Skinner to form the core of a wide receiver group that would continue to be extremely productive.

Despite the turnover at quarterback, the receivers continued to put together a great season as a group, with nearly every game featuring multiple receivers with 50 or more yards. The big plays came in spades as well, with six players having a reception that went for 49 or more yards on the season. The season ended on a high note for the position as well, with Arnold and Grimm putting on a performance to remember against UNLV, combining for 292 yards and 6 touchdowns on just 10 receptions.

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The Jayhawks have a lot of players to try and keep happy this season, with 5 upper classmen who have all put in significant time and could reasonably play a large part of the offensive plan. And that doesn’t even include the tight ends and running backs that could easily take reception opportunities away from the position. Kansas has not had issues in the past with juggling so many options and keeping people engaged. But with so few opportunities available for each individual player, it’s hard to get players into a rhythm.

The big play potential for this group means that the wide receivers are always just one snap away from massively changing the complexion of a game. Skinner, Arnold and Grimm are all back and ready to put together huge games, and Trevor Wilson and Doug Emilien have also made huge strides in the offseason.

That doesn’t even get into the stable of freshmen and sophomores that are waiting in the wings for their opportunity. Keaton Kubecka had a few memorable plays last year, but he won’t be the only guy to step up.

There is no question what the top two options of the depth chart are going to be this season, but there are plenty of questions about who is going to get that third string role. Who fills in there probably won’t have a huge impact on the season overall though, so it might be academic at this point.

WR1: Lawrence Arnold/Trevor Wilson

Arnold’s position in the top spot is all but assured, as he was the most productive and consistent receiver for the Jayhawks last year. His combination of field vision and quick step has helped him to open up opportunities on pretty much every play. That threat even helps in the run game, as he can use that footwork to get good position to seal off his defender on the outside runs.

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Wilson got a late start last year but was productive in his time on the field. He has all the tools needed to be successful, and will definitely find himself with a decent amount of playing time. His skill set most closely matches Arnold, so he gets slotted as the backup here.

WR2: Quentin Skinner/Doug Emilien

Skinner is the fastest guy in the receiving room, which sets him up extremely well for big play after big play. He broke out in a big way last season, building on his productive end of the season before to consistently draw coverage away from others with the threat of his speed.

Emilien had a lot of promise going into last season, but it never quite panned out for him. He is another speedy receiver with some good hands, and his improvement during the spring has him poised to expand his role this year.

WR3/Slot: Luke Grimm/Keaton Kubecka

Grimm seems to have a special rapport with Jalon Daniels, and has always been a great slot/possession receiver for this squad. He has continued to impress, and has a shot to be the most productive receiver this year.

Kubecka made an impression during the Spring Showcase, and while I could see him getting on the field, it will likely be in a fairly limited role. But he has the kind of development potential that could give him a real shot this year and give him a leg up on the competition next year.

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While Kansas has 12 players at the wide receiver position on the roster this year, there isn’t a whole lot of proven depth. It’s likely that many of these guys will make an appearance on special teams, but there is a huge variety of size and speed potential from the depth that it’s hard to guess who will actually be needed and successful. The main takeaway however is that I don’t expect much to come from outside of the group above.

The wide receivers will once again be coached by Terrance Samuel, who joined the staff last year. Prior to coming to Lawrence, Samuel has spent 24 years coaching in various programs, including Syracuse, Michigan State, UNLV, Arizona and Central Michigan. He previously worked with Leipold at Nebraska-Omaha.

It’s hard to be too worried about this group, as they have a full two-deep of great options and a history of putting together successful units without a stand-out individual performer. But it’s fair to say that all three starters could easily slot in as a WR2 on many other teams in the conference, and the chemistry this group has is a real asset.



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Heavy rainfall causes flash flooding in SW Kansas

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Heavy rainfall causes flash flooding in SW Kansas


WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Impressive amounts of rainfall fell Sunday across southern Kansas. Some areas received too much rain too fast, resulting in flash flooding.

The Dodge City Fire Department rescued a driver trapped in the floodwaters under a train bridge this morning.

According to rainfall reports from Storm Team 12 Meteorologist Dean Jones, Dodge City received just over four inches of rain from 2 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Sunday, with over two inches falling between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Across Kansas, rainfall totals ranged from half an inch to almost five inches overnight. An additional 1-3 inches are possible through the remainder of Sunday.

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REPORT: Travis Kelce Admits Raiders Significantly Hurt His Christmas with Taylor Swift

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REPORT: Travis Kelce Admits Raiders Significantly Hurt His Christmas with Taylor Swift


The Las Vegas Raiders’ commanding victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 20-14, was a triumph for then-interim head coach Antonio Pierce and the Silver and Black. It forecasted the style of play that Pierce would build a team around in the months after with the hiring of general manager Tom Telesco.

That day also proved to be a rough one for arguably the world’s most prominent couple: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his mega-star girlfriend, Taylor Swift. Kelce discussed the defeat on a recent episode of the “Bussin’ with the Boys” podcast. He said that the couple’s first Christmas was “ruined.”

“We got our a– beat by the f—–g Raiders on Christmas. F—–g ruined Christmas, motherf—–s,” Kelce told podcast hosts Taylor Lewan and Will Compton. “[Antonio Pierce], he had those dudes were ready to brawl out there on the field. One hundred percent man. And I love that s–t. I was like, man if we play with that kind of edge, or that kind of toughness, that kind of like don’t f–k with us mentality, we won’t be stopped. And it just kind of ended up like that. But that Raiders game was definitely a turning point.”

The defeat served as a wake-up call for the Chiefs, as they would cap off the regular season with two wins. The Chiefs marched all the way back to the Super Bowl, beating the seemingly unstoppable Baltimore Ravens in the process. The Chiefs are now looking to three-peat in 2024.

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The good news for Kelce and the Chiefs is that Christmas Day is behind them and they won’t have to face the Raiders on the holiday in 2024. Instead, they will play the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kelce and Swift have a 50-50 chance of another ruined Christmas.

More bad news arrives for the Chiefs by way of the Silver and Black: the team that was “ready to brawl” will continue to do so under Pierce. The team is better, too. Signing defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and drafting linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and cornerback Decamerion Richardson will only bolster what was becoming one of the most physical, and best, defenses in the NFL.

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