Shoe company Skechers is suing Adidas, claiming it "engaged in a deliberate, deceptive, and illegal campaign" to artificially boost its image while steering amateur college basketball players to Adidas products.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday night in Los Angeles, comes shortly after an FBI indictment released last month charged former Adidas executive Jim Gatto with giving illegal payments to the parents and guardians of college athletes, which included family members of two Kansas players believed to be Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa. Both Preston and De Sousa are mentioned by name in Skechers' lawsuit.
"As was the case with (NC State's Dennis) Smith, Adidas has vigorously promoted its relationship with Preston," Skechers' attorneys wrote in the suit.