The University of Miami Scandal

The Investigation

After 11 months and many, many interviews Yahoo! Sports broke the story about a University of Miami booster, Nevin Shapiro, giving illicit benefits to at least 72 Miami football and basketball players between 2002 and 2010. The football players include well known athletes such as Jonathan Vilma, Vince Wilfork, Kellen Winslow Jr., Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Antrel Rolle, Jacory Harris as well as multiple football and basketball coaches. Shapiro is currently in jail and looking at a 20 year sentence for a ponzi scheme that amounted to $930 million. The booster is said to have given players money; paid for nights out at clubs and strip joints, meals, and drinks; allowed them to stay at his house and use his yacht anytime; offered bounties, money for an accomplishment during a game; provided prostitutes; and in one case even provided money for an abortion. He also used his power to impress and bribe potential recruits to join the Hurricanes. Shapiro has provided many receipts from nights out and photos of himself with players as proof for his actions.

Aybar Bunts in Attempt to End No-Hitter

Verlander’s No No-Hitter

It was a pitching duel between Justin Verlander of the Detroit Tigers and the Los Angeles Angels with Jared Weaver. In the bottom of the third inning the Tigers’ Magglio Ordoñez hit a ball off of Weaver that was borderline fair/foul as it sailed into the outfield. Ordoñez stood in the batter’s box watching the ball to see on which side of the foul pole it would curve. With the ball eventually sailing to the right of the pole for a home run, Weaver took this as Ordoñez admiring the hit and the two began to share some words. In the bottom of the seventh, Carlos Guillen decided to get back at Weaver for calling out the teammate of the former so when Guillen hit a home run he stood there to admire it and then skipped off to first base. Understandably, this ticked Weaver off. As a result, the next hitter, Alex Avila, got a fastball high and inside that caused Avila to duck. Weaver was ejected and the game continued.