Source: DON EMMERT / Getty
If Michael Avenatti is going down for the extortion plot he is accused of hitting Nike with, he’s taking everyone with him. The infamous lawyer took to Twitter to claim the brand paid now pro NBA players DeAndre Ayton and Bol Bol with under the table money.
Instead of walking into Nike and negotiating some sort of deal, Avenatti walked out in cuffs. However, he is claiming it was merely a diversion by Nike to hide allegedly nefarious payments to athletes.
“Contrary to Nike’s claims yesterday, they have NOT been cooperating with investigators for over a year,:” tweeted Avenatti on Tuesday morning (March 26). “Unless you count lying in response to subpoenas and withholding documents as ‘cooperating.’ They are trying to divert attention from their own crimes.”
And then he started naming names, including Bol and Ayton.
He added, “Ask DeAndre Ayton and Nike about the cash payments to his mother and others. Nike’s attempt at diversion and cover-up will fail miserably once prosecutors realize they have been played by Nike and their lawyers at Boies. This reaches the highest levels of Nike.”
And then he said, “Bol Bol and his handlers also received large sums from Nike. The receipts are clear as day. A lot of people at Nike will have to account for their criminal conduct, starting with Carlton DeBose & moving higher up. The diversion charade they orchestrated against me will be exposed. The corruption at Nike was rampant with Merl Code and increased with his apprentice DeBose after Code left for Adiddas. Those above DeBose knew all about the payments. Nike conspired to route many of the payments through a convicted felon. Nike then lied to the government.”
These are some heavy claims by Avenatti, who is facing years in prison if convicted. If Nike paid Bol Bol (who currently plays for Oregon, but is injured) and DeAndre Ayton (now in the NBA after playing a year at Arizona) while they were prep stars that places a gang of people in the crosshairs of the law.
He also added, “If Nike was cooperating with the government for over a year relating to this scandal (they weren’t – this is a lie), where are the disclosures in their SEC filings? There are none. Wait until the SEC begins their investigation & starts asking why Nike hid this info from investors.”
Considering Avenatti’s record of wins (see: Stormy Daniels and R. Kelly’s indictment), can you really discount what he has to say? Only time will tell.
Michael Avenatti Claims Nike Hit DeAndre Ayton & Bol Bol With A Bag was originally published on hiphopwired.com
