Grand jury subpoenas documents related to new Cal State Northridge coach Mark Gottfried in college basketball probe
A federal grand jury in New York investigating bribery and corruption in college basketball has subpoenaed a wide range of documents from North Carolina State, including information related to new Cal State Northridge coach Mark Gottfried.
The two-page subpoena issued in January and reviewed by the Los Angeles Times on Friday requests Gottfried’s personnel file, “including but not limited to employment contracts and/or documents reflecting any terms of compensation.”
Gottfried spent six years as N.C. State’s coach until parting ways with the school last year.
When Northridge introduced Gottfried earlier this week, the coach said he discussed the ongoing federal investigation, linked to schools including USC and Arizona, with school President Dianne F. Harrison. The sprawling case includes allegations first reported by Yahoo Sports last month that former N.C. State star Dennis Smith Jr. received $73,500 in loans from a sports agency during Gottfried’s tenure.
“I don’t foresee any red flags that I’m aware of,” Gottfried said Tuesday.
He hasn’t been charged or publicly accused of wrongdoing in connection with the investigation.
“Compliance was an important issue for us in the search for our next men’s basketball coach,” a Northridge spokesman said in a statement. “The great thing about bringing Mark Gottfried to CSUN is that we had a 20-year track record to review. Coach Gottfried has an excellent compliance record and understands how to build winners the right way. We did our own due diligence and, as both Coach Gottfried and officials at North Carolina State have said, there are no red flags whatsoever.”
Signed by two U.S. attorneys, the subpoena asked N.C. State to keep the document confidential.
“Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, it is requested that you do not disclose any information relating to this Grand Jury subpoena request to any third party,” it said.
The subpoena includes another California link. It requests communications between N.C. State’s athletic department and current and former Adidas employees Jim Gatto, Christopher Rivers, T.J. Gassnola, Merl Code and Anthony Coleman.
Coleman is from Westminster, played for Cal State Long Beach and spent time at USC as the director of basketball operations and player development coordinator under former coach Kevin O’Neill. Arizona State hired Coleman as an assistant coach in 2016. His link to N.C. State is unclear.
An Arizona State spokesman declined to comment.
The subpoena seeks any communication between any member of N.C. State’s athletic department and Smith, his father, longtime basketball trainer Shawn Farmer and any other family member or representative of the player.
It also asks for the personnel file for Orlando Early, one of Gottfried’s former assistant coaches, and any forms signed by Early regarding athlete eligibility.
The four schools with assistant coaches charged in the investigation — USC, Arizona, Auburn and Oklahoma State — received subpoenas last fall. South Carolina, Miami Coach Jim Larranaga and former Louisville Coach Rick Pitino are also known to have been subpoenaed.
Twitter: @nathanfenno
UPDATES:
12:10 p.m.: This article has been updated with background information.
This article was originally posted at 10:20 a.m.
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