Sports agents Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom...

Sports agents Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom were described by the government as a pair of thieving extortionists who preyed on college athletes--”two hustlers from New York” who shared a vision of corruption and greed.

But Bloom’s attorney, Dan Webb, argued at their trial in Chicago that National Collegiate Athletic Assn. rules are not law, and the government had no evidence any laws were broken.

“Violation of NCAA rules is not a crime,” Webb told jurors during closing arguments. “The NCAA is a private club. . . . They can have any rules they want but they are not laws.”

Walters, 58, and Bloom, 29, are charged with mail fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and racketeering. They are accused of having lured college athletes with cash to sign contracts in violation of NCAA rules, and of keeping the athletes in line with threats.