Former UNLV basketball player named in report on corruption scandal

Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

A Yahoo! Sports investigative report has revealed some of the big names implicated in a wide-ranging pay-for-play scandal that now includes current and past players and some of college basketball's most prestigious programs.

According to the report, an agent at ASM Sports made payments to multiple players and their families. Current stars such as Michigan State's Miles Bridges, Alabama's Collin Sexton and Duke's Wendell Carter were all named as having taken impermissible benefits from the agency.

UNLV didn't escape unscathed from the latest round of revelations, as a document obtained by Yahoo! showed that Patrick McCaw had dinner with the ASM agent while he was still enrolled at the university. The former Rebel played his final game with UNLV on March 10, 2016, then had dinner with the agent on March 23. The agency paid for the dinner, a cost of $178.01. McCaw declared for the NBA Draft on April 4 and was selected in the second round by the Golden State Warriors.

UNLV athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said via statement that the university is conducting its own investigation of the incident.

"We learned this morning through media reports of the allegation concerning a former player from 2016, and we have initiated our standard compliance protocol to review the matter."

The only other Mountain West connection to the scandal is San Diego State forward Malik Pope, as the Yahoo! report indicated the senior accepted a $1,400 payment from the agency.

Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.