Witness at NCAA trial says he paid football recruits
NEW YORK (AP) — A key witness for prosecutors at a trial stemming from a crackdown on corruption in college basketball says he paid college football players to secure their business when they joined the NFL.
Louis Martin Blazer, testifying Tuesday and Wednesday, described paying players at schools including Pittsburgh, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Northwestern, North Carolina and Alabama.
Blazer said he did it so they’d hire him as their financial adviser when they became professionals.
He says he answered the request of a Penn State coach and gave a $10,000 check to the father of a first-round draft pick in the 2009 NFL draft. The money was paid back. He says he also paid a North Carolina player who was drafted by the New York Giants.
Blazer testified in Manhattan federal court.
