The first college basketball corruption trials wrapped up yesterday with all three defendants found guilty by the New York jury on wire fraud and conspiracy charges.
Going into deliberations, it was clear that NCAA violations were most likely committed but the question remained: did the prosecution present enough evidence to commit the jury that federal crimes were committed? The jury’s verdict makes that an obvious yes.
So what is next? Well, the defendants (Merl Code, James Gatto, and Christian Dawkins) can appeal, but we will see how that goes. However, the assistant coaches who are scheduled to go to trial next year could become more interested in taking a plea deal.