Documentary features wiretap audio of LSU's Wade talking about paying players
Warning: Video contains coarse language
HBO's "The Scheme," an account of college basketball's 2017-18 corruption scandal, debuted Tuesday. The documentary uses recordings of phone conversations wiretapped by the FBI between former player manager Christian Dawkins and LSU head coach Will Wade, with Wade openly discussing offers of money to players.
LSU Head Coach Will Wade on a wire tap talking about paying players to come to LSU
— Big Blue Nation (@BigBlue9ation) April 1, 2020
“We could compensate him better than the rookie minimum”
“We’d give him more than the D-League”
SHEESH 😳pic.twitter.com/sSTv0RLsoG
Wade mentions current Tigers guard Javonte Smart, who joined the program in 2018 as a top-50 recruit.
"I was thinking last night on this Smart thing. I'll be honest with you, I'm f------ tired of dealing with this thing," Wade said in the recording. "Like, I'm tired of dealing with this f------ shit. What do you think? Because I went to him with a f------ strong-ass offer about a month ago. ... Now, the problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now, it was tilted toward the family a little bit. But, I mean, it was a f------ hell of a f------ offer. ... Especially for a kid that's going to be a two- or three-year kid. I've made deals for as good a players as him that were f------ a lot simpler than this."
Wade was briefly suspended by LSU in 2019 after details of his involvement in the scandal were made public. LSU athletic director Scott Woodward said Wednesday that the newly publicized recordings would not immediately affect Wade's employment at the school.
"We are aware of the documentary," Woodward said, via the Times-Picayune's Amie Just. The athletic director added, "There is no change to coach Will Wade's employment status at LSU and we will continue to cooperate with all reviews into this matter."
Recordings of Dawkins' conversations with Arizona head coach Sean Miller are also played in the documentary. Miller alludes to something of a bidding contest for ex-LSU forward Naz Reid, who now plays in the NBA.
Miller served a similar suspension to Wade's in 2018, but denied allegations of wrongdoing. Dawkins was convicted on two counts of bribery in the scandal and sentenced to one year in prison in October.