On the fourth day of the trial of attorney Michael Avenatti Monday, Nike was once again linked to payments to high school basketball players. And an attorney for the apparel company didn’t exactly deny the charge, according to Adam Zagoria, writing for the News & Observer.

Zagoria wrote that a business consultant testified that Nike funneled money to various top high school players through the director of a Nike-sponsored grassroots program. And that testimony came just after Nike attorney Scott Wilson finished his own testimony.

“I’ve never told the government there was no evidence of Nike making payments to players,” Wilson said.

Wilson previously testified, per Zagoria, that the Securities and Exchange Commission continued with an “ongoing investigation” of Nike, looking into payments to high school basketball players.

Then Jeff Auerbach of Bedford Consulting took the stand and stated that Nike pushed the Gary Franklin, director of Cal Supreme, a team that competes in Nike’s EYBL, to make payments to the families and handlers of several players, including Deandre Ayton, Bol Bol and Brandon McCoy.

“Gary had been directed to make cash payments to several players’ families,” Auerbach testified.

Ayton played for Arizona, Bol for Oregon and McCoy for UNLV. All three schools have apparel contracts with Nike. Auerbach, who Zagoria categorized as an advisor and friend of Franklin, also testified that Franklin was asked to falsify records and “redirect” wire payments to those associated with the players.

One such false invoice, dated June 20, 2016, was presented by Avenatti’s defense team, listing payments to the handlers and family members of Ayton and McCoy.

Zagoria wrote that the invoice referenced:

* 1. a $28,000 bank wire payment to Melvin McDonald, Deandre Ayton’s handler, on 4/4/16

* 2. a) $30,000 to McDonald

b) $15,000 to AAU coach Shaun Manning, Brandon McCoy’s handler

c) $10,000 to Andrea Ayton

d) $5,000 for travel expenses related to Ayton’s family

* 3. $10,000 cash to Andrea Ayton on 6/29/16

* 4. $10,000 check to Shaun Manning, McCoy’s handler on 7/1/16

* 5. $2,500 cash to Manning on 7/8/16

* 6. $5,000 for Ayton-related travel, paid with Cal Supreme credit cards

Documents were shown to the jury detailing $10,000 worth of withdrawals from Cal Supreme’s bank account “that Gary then paid to Andrea Ayton,” Auerbach testified. Asked by the government if there was ever any explanation given as to what the payments were for, Auerbach testified, “No.”

Zagoria wrote that, “Auerbach testified that Nike employees Carlton DeBose and Jamal James directed Franklin on Nike’s behalf to make the payments, falsify records and redirect wire payments. He testified that Franklin had enjoyed a successful 15-year relationship with Nike that included an annual sponsorship of Cal Supreme that was officially worth between $72,000-$79,000 depending upon the year, but was actually worth ‘about $192,000 a year because of all the product and how that totaled up.’”

The product included various gear including shoes, clothes, backpacks and more.

Auerbach further testified that he contacted Avenatti in March 2019 to help Franklin with “a lot of stress” and “corporate bullying” from DuBose and James, who still work at Nike.

“I told him that Gary had been directed....to carry out certain acts that he was going to lose his sponsorship if he didn’t do it,” Auerbach testified.

That led to the alleged conversations that make up the crux of the case, with prosecutors claiming that Avenatti attempted to extort between $15 million and $25 million from Nike, threatening to reveal the payments to players.

Per Zagoria, Franklin is expected to testify later in the trial.

On Friday, Judge Paul G. Gardephe said he did not intend for the trial to explore whether Nike has been involved in corrupt payments to Ayton, Bol and McCoy.

“We are not going to pursue a broad exploration of whether Nike was involved in corruption in amateur athletics because Nike is not on trial here,” Gardephe told defense attorneys.

But if the Adidas trials are any indication, it’s not the trials themselves that are a potential danger to the schools involved, with the NCAA doubling back with the information revealed in the federal case against corruption in college basketball to levy potential sanctions.