NEW YORK (AP) A jury has begun deliberating the fate of three men charged with conspiring to cheat major college basketball programs by paying young athletes to sign with schools sponsored by Adidas.
Attorneys for the defendants say their clients broke NCAA rules but no laws.
Deliberations began Monday after U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan instructed the jury.
The defendants are Adidas sports marketing manager James ”Jim” Gatto, aspiring sports agent Christopher Dawkins and Merl Code, a former Adidas consultant. Each pleaded not guilty.
Their attorneys say anything they did was intended to help the schools they steered players to rather than harm the programs.
The scandal led to the firing of Coach Rick Pitino at Louisville. He was not charged.
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