Report: Arizona’s Sean Miller told he’ll be subpoenaed in corruption trial
Feb 25, 2019, 11:51 AM | Updated: 9:03 pm
Arizona coach Sean Miller watches during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Washington State, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. Washington State defeated Arizona 69-55. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Representatives of Arizona Wildcats men’s basketball coach Sean Miller have reportedly been notified that he’ll be subpoenaed for a federal trial involving corruption in college basketball, Yahoo! Sports’ Pat Forde, Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel reported Monday.
“These notifications [of subpoena] are essentially a courtesy to avoid a public spectacle for the coaches, like getting served in the middle of a game or a practice,” the Monday story on Yahoo! Sports read. LSU basketball coach Will Wade was also reportedly notified.
The report comes weeks after that trio of reporters said “there’s a strong expectation that Miller will be subpoenaed to appear at the trial.”
It raises thorny questions for the public universities that employ them, as both the optics of potentially testifying in federal court about basketball recruiting and potential answers that could be given under oath will be a likely cause of consternation for Arizona and LSU administrators.
RELATED STORIES
Arizona has been linked from the beginning to an FBI investigation of college basketball corruption and the trial of former agency runner Christian Dawkins. It led to recent plea bargain agreements by former college basketball assistant coaches, including former Wildcat assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson.
Dawkins will not take a plea and is set for an April trial.
During the trials so far, transcripts of FBI wiretaps included Dawkins’ mentions of working with the Arizona staff. Phones linked to Dawkins and Miller made contact at least 13 times over a course of several months in 2017, ESPN reported.
The impending subpoenas also increase the likelihood that those tapes would be played at trial, as defense attorneys are likely to want to walk the jury through the realities of recruiting in college basketball’s underworld.
“(Former Arizona assistant Joe Pasternack) told me verbatim he will help us get all the Arizona players, so put his feet to the fire,” one of Dawkins’ texts read when revealed in the first trial.
