“We would like to address the allegations against one of our families. The Little family did not ask for, nor were offered money by any institution or individual,” wrote 1Family in a statement denying any wrongdoing. “They were completely unaware of any of the alleged offenses that may have mentioned or contained their son’s name. There is not one single player in our program, nor family member of any player, that had any knowledge or discussion about payments being made in regards to making a college decision.
Jonathan Brad Augustine, the coach of Little and the 1 Family AAU program, was one of 10 men charged Tuesday by federal authorities in the college basketball investigation. Augustine is alleged to be part of a scheme to pay players’ families in exchange for those players going to certain universities sponsored by adidas.“We stand by this 100% and will allow the truth to come out as this process unfolds,” wrote 1Family in the statement. “Any defamation or accusations made by media accusing any of our players participating in said behavior will be documented and addressed legally. Our loyalty and commitment are to the young men we are blessed to coach and to their families. We fully support them and are standing with them in this process.”
Little was not named in the federal indictment, but numerous media outlets have reported that Little appears to be the player involved. According to 247Sports, Little is ranked as the No. 9 overall player in the Class of 2018 and the No. 2 player from the state of Florida. “There are three names universally believed to be involved in receiving money, Louisville freshman Brian Bowen, Arizona five-star recruit Jahvon Quinerly of Hudson Catholic (N.J.) and uncommitted five-star Florida wing Nassir Little,” wrote Zach Braziller of the New York Post on Thursday. “Bowen reportedly has been suspended indefinitely by Louisville, and it seems likely he never will be eligible to play college basketball. Quinerly and Little are in danger of a similar fate, both tied to accepting bribes to attend a particular school, according to the federal reports. Quinerly and his camp have not issued any public statements on the matter. On Thursday, the Arizona Daily Star reported that there is a reference in a federal complaint that Arizona may have offered Little $150,000 to play for the Wildcats instead of Miami. “The federal complaint filed Tuesday that involved Adidas (relevant portions are attached to this post) says Adidas rep Merl Code told Adidas executive James Gatto that “University 4” was offering “Player 12” $150,000, suggesting that Adidas needed to match the offer in order to keep “Player 12” away from a rival school that is sponsored by a rival firm,” wrote the Arizona Daily Star. “A day later, the complaint said Code told Gatto that if “University 4” was willing to pay $150,000, then “that’s where the kid is going to go.” Sources said Little’s recruitment is currently on hold as this situation develops. Follow Jacob on Twitter