There have been many questions raised from individual incidents regarding the FBI's investigation into alleged college basketball corruption. That has spilled over to the notice of allegations that was handed to KU in 2019.

Well, the University of Kansas has issued its first formal response and dispute of the allegations, among which was KU's explanation of a conversation between Merl Code, a former Adidas consultant, and Kurtis Townsend, a KU basketball assistant, regarding former five-star recruit and current NBA star Zion Williamson, who ended up going to Duke.

The conversation, according to a previous account from Yahoo Sports, went as follows:

Code: "Hey, between me and you, you know, [Zion Williamson's father] asked about some stuff. You know? ...

Code, cont.: "I know what he's asking for. He's asking for opportunities from an occupational perspective. He's asking for cash in the pocket and he's asking for housing for him and his family."

Townsend: "I've got to just try to work and figure out a way because if that's what it takes to get him here for 10 months, we're going to have to do it some way."

KU's response to the notice of allegations describes the conversation similarly:

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"Code went on to claim that [Zion Williamson's family] wanted housing, a job, money and for [redacted] at the school [he] attended," the KU response reads. "In response to Code's claim, Townsend stated 'if that's what it takes to get him there, I gotta figure out a way to get him there for 10 months.'"

Exact wording aside, KU's dispute of the NCAA's claim — that the conversation is in support of alleged rule breaking — is based around three ideas:

The account was an "unverified transcript ... that had already been deemed inadmissible by the court." Code, according to Townsend, was not a credible source of the Williamson family's recruitment. The NCAA also did not believe Code's comment was credible, as both it and Duke cleared Williamson.

Here is how KU made the argument.

First, the response notes Townsend in his response to Code "did not agree to provide or even consider providing inducements or impermissible benefits. ... As Townsend explained, he was referencing the numerous permissible ways [Williamson] or his family could earn money in compliance with NCAA rules, including applying for Pell Grant money, teaching basketball lessons and working camps, and receiving the stipend each athlete is allowed."

Townsend also said he did not report Code's comments — either to Self or compliance — because "there was no reason to give 'much weight' to Code's remarks."

Specifically, the response read: "Code's anecdotal references are the type of comments that are frequently tossed around in the recruiting world by any number of people who (often falsely) claim to know what a PSA and his family want in exchange for committing to an institution, but, in reality, do not represent or speak for the PSA and his family."

It is also noted in the response that Townsend knew Williamson's mother — not his father — was "the key figure in his recruitment," again supporting the idea that Townsend was skeptical of Code's claims, since they allegedly were said to be coming from Williamson's father.

Then came perhaps the most forceful part of KU's defense: If Williamson's recruitment warranted further investigating, why did Duke and the NCAA clear him to play?

From the response...

"Townsend's credibility assessment was vindicated fully as evidenced by the fact that both [Duke] University [and the NCAA] cleared [Williamson] to compete during the entirety of the [2018-19] men's basketball season — despite having notice of Code's purported claim in October."

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The end of the section also notes that Williamson's parents were interviewed by enforcement staff in November and "expressly rejected the idea that KU or its coaches had done, said, or suggested anything improper during [Williamson's] recruitment."

And thus you have the response from KU.