Everyone agrees that a college coach directing money to a prized high school recruit in hopes that doing so will motivate the recruit to attend a particular college constitutes a violation of NCAA amateurism rules.
But not everyone agrees on whether this sort of payment is “fraud” from an ethical or legal standpoint.
The ethics—or lack thereof—of paying recruits
The fact that coaches, agents, “financial advisors,” sneaker executives and other industry players sometimes conspire to pay recruits is hardly a revelation. In spite of NCAA rules and NCAA enforcement practices, this type of activity has occurred for decades.