Yahoo! Sports released an investigative article Wednesday revealing five former Southeastern Conference football players, including former Alabama offensive tackle D.J. Fluker, received extra benefits and violated NCAA rules during their collegiate careers.
Fluker and the other players were revealed by financial and text message records that belonged to former Alabama defensive end Luther Davis. A source with ties to NFL agents told Yahoo! that Davis was serving as a middle man between the five players and multiple NFL agents and financial advisers.
The records revealed that agents and advisers moved at least $45,550 to Davis between September 2011 and December 2012. An itemized invoice of 49 transactions from February 2013 was obtained by Yahoo! Sports that was emailed from Davis to Fluker’s onetime financial adviser Hodge Brahmbhatt. Davis listed $33,755 in expenditures in the email under the subject line “D.J. Fluker Invoice.”
The University of Alabama released a statement from Director of Athletics Bill Battle.
“We have been aware of some of the allegations in today’s story and our compliance department was looking into this situation prior to being notified that this story was actually going to be published,” Battle said. “Our review is ongoing. We diligently educate our student-athletes on maintaining compliance with NCAA rules, and will continue to do so.”
Yahoo! Sports authenticated several transactions tying Fluker to Davis and others, including cash transfers, hotel stays, furniture and airline flights.
Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said the release of this article has not been a distraction for the team’s preparation for its highly-anticipated matchup against Texas A&M Saturday.
“I didn’t read the article, I was at practice,” Saban said during his Wednesday press conference. “I know Bill has already made a comment about the story. I would say that, from an administrative standpoint and from a compliance standpoint, our people here do a fantastic job. I know that we have, I think one of the best agent education programs in terms of what we try to do to help our players make good choices and decisions, about what they do and what they don’t do when it comes to agents. And I have full confidence in our leadership that we’re going to do whatever we need to do to handle the situation appropriately.”
Fluker tweeted he received money while in school on Aug. 23 but claimed his Twitter account was hacked and deleted the tweet.
“Yea I took $ n college so wat,” Fluker’s tweet said. “I did wat i had to do. Agents was tryin to pimp me so I pimped them. Cast da first stone.”
Senior linebacker C.J. Mosley said the Alabama athletic program takes steps to make players aware of situations like Fluker’s.
“It was upsetting to hear, but at the end of the day, that’s what happened in the past,” Mosley said. “The coaches do a great job of informing us and our parents about agents and things like that. So I’m pretty sure that won’t be happening again.”
