In a tweet issued on Friday night, attorney Michael Avenatti alleged that Williamson’s mother, Sharonda Sampson, was paid for bogus “consulting services” to get Williamson to Duke. Avenatti has previously been accused by federal prosecutors to have attempted to extort Nike. As it relates to Williamson, Avenatti intimated on Twitter that his mother received money from Nike through the sneaker giant's vendor portal beginning in 2016. “We are aware of the allegation, and, as we would with any compliance matter, are looking into it,” White wrote. That's why he's different.”ESPN reported this week that up to six shoe brands (Nike, Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Under Armour and Anta – could be in on the bidding to sign Williamson to a long-term shoe contract.

Source: Forbes April 06, 2019 22:30 UTC