Tony Bland had a problem.
The USC men’s basketball associate head coach wanted to meet with would-be sports agent Christian Dawkins on Aug. 31. But during a phone call that morning, Bland told Dawkins about a conflicting appointment with a member of the school’s compliance staff.
After Bland confirmed Dawkins was alone, according to the federal criminal complaint filed in September, the men discussed funneling “bread” to relatives of two USC players. In exchange, the players, when they became professionals, would use the services of Dawkins and financial advisor Munish Sood.
The coach, who bragged about his influence over USC players in previous conversations, had one concern.