The story is the stuff of high drama. It centers around “Mr. White,” a former college basketball coach and wannabe power player in college athletics who was willing to engage in ruthless academic fraud to achieve his goals.
In an attempt to climb the ranks of Division 1 basketball, he “helped” academically weak players by taking their courses for them and stealing exam answers. He cheated for hundreds of athletes and had D1 coaches on speed dial, ready to call when they needed a “job” done (usually to help a junior college transfer meet NCAA requirements).
He was obsessive-compulsive about covering his tracks and not getting caught, at one point telling athletes: “You fail the course by telling anyone I helped you. You fail by not doing exactly what I say.”
At various points throughout his 14-year stint of fraudulence, parents, coaches, and college administrators helped him and paid him (with both cash and in-kind payments, such as VIP game tickets and passes to top basketball camps) to make certain that “their player” was given a boost.
“Mr. White” thought his “services” would put him in the good graces of prestigious basketball coaches and programs looking for their next hire. But after a two-year NCAA investigation, he’s decided to call it quits. He now expresses remorse for his actions, though he says he’s unsure whether he’ll “snitch” on the people who took part in his schemes.
Read the full story, published by the Chronicle of Higher Education, here.