The NCAA has sought permission from the Southern District of New York to gather information from the FBI’s probe into college basketball for the purposes of its own investigation, according to the Louisville Courier Journal.
The governing body filed a motion seeking to obtain 24 evidentiary exhibits used at the trial of Jim Gatto, Merl Code and Christian Dawkins, each of whom was convicted on fraud charges in October. The NCAA is also seeking an unredacted sentencing memo for Jim Gatto.
“Although not a party to the case, the NCAA has a strong interest in the proceedings given the role its rules played at trial and its responsibility to enforce those rules,” the NCAA motion reads. “The requested materials will permit the NCAA to investigate potential rule violations, take enforcement action if warranted, and consider reforms to prevent future violations.”
The NCAA argued that the public has a right to access the evidence, which it identified by reference number. Attorneys for the NCAA emphasized that they were not seeking all of the evidence the government had gathered in building its case. With the trial concluded, the NCAA says there is no reason to withhold evidence that may help it better understand possible rule violations.
The news comes as federal prosecutors submitted sentencing recommendations calling for jail time for all three of the defendants convicted at trial. Official sentencing is set for Tuesday.
