A former marketing agent for Zion Williamson is requesting that the New Orleans Pelicans Forward come clean about accepting bribes to attend Duke University.
Gina Ford alleges that Zion as the number 2 recruit out of high school accepted “money, benefits, favors or others things of value” to attend Duke University last year. Ford also invoked Nike and Adidas as companies that swayed Williamson’s decision to attend Duke University.
The allegations also include Zion’s family members as part of the scheme. If the allegations prove to be true, it would be a violation of NCAA rules and potentially strengthen Ford’s overall case against Zion.
Ford as President of Prime Sports Agency submitted the request for admission as part of an ongoing lawsuit between Prime Sports and Zion’s current agency, Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
Ford alleges that CAA violated Prime Sports’ 5 year contract with the superstar talent. Ford is seeking $100 million in punitive damages.
According to Sports Illustrated, Zion’s team is fighting against the lawsuit saying that the contract between Williamson and Prime Sports was invalid due to an omission of the fact that Zion would lose NCAA eligibility by signing with an agency.
It’s worth noting that a new rule set last month by the NCAA would allow college players to hire an agent and pursue endorsement deals without losing eligibility. However, taking bribes to enroll in a specific school would still be a violation of NCAA rules.
The number 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft scored a 7-year $75 million deal with Jordan Brand in July. Zion also signed a multi-year contract with Gatorade.
