“These schools make millions and the coaches know what is going on, but I buy hamburgers for parents and players and that’s illegal?” Dawkins told me in January.

“This is my ‘drop the mic’ moment.”

The Dawkins who appears in the documentary is the same man who took the stand in federal court last year, which is to say a dude who speaks with striking candor. Did he pay the families of players in violation of N.C.A.A. strictures? Yes. Did coaches and officials know what was happening? Oh yes.

“We were definitely not the most ethical people in the world,” Dawkins says in the film.

This documentary presents delicious recordings of coaches talking oh-so-frankly of cash-on-the-barrel recruiting. And its strength lies in its strand-pulling, building a narrative that allows viewers to make sense of the recruiting game.

If you are an alumnus, or even just a fan, of Arizona, L.S.U. or Kansas — or, if we’re honest, most universities — and tempted to close your eyes, clap your hands over ears and deny your coach knew anything, this documentary arrives like a cold shower.