New stuff from Will Wade wiretap

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It also contains a number of never-before-heard audio recordings of FBI-intercepted phone calls between Dawkins and LSU coach Will Wade and Arizona’s Miller.

In perhaps the most colorful exchange, Miller and Dawkins are discussing the rumor that Naz Reid, a 6-10 forward from New Jersey who was rumored to be leaning heavily to LSU, might actually commit to Arizona. During the second federal trial, a recording of Arizona assistant Emanuel “Book” Richardson was played where Richardson said Wade had informed him that, “Look, there’s a deal in place, I got $300,000 for [Reid].” (Reid later denied ever getting any money or there being any deal.)

On the phone call, Miller quickly informed Dawkins that he believed that any rumors about Reid coming to Arizona was a potential trick designed for the Reid camp to get more money out of LSU.

Christian Dawkins: “In essence, let me ask you this: Do you think you’ll get Naz Reid?” Sean Miller: “No. He’s going to LSU.” Dawkins: “OK, he’s going to LSU, so that helps.”

Miller: “We’re not even bringing him on a visit. He’s not even visiting. That’s all [expletive]. Like, I’m looking at our recruiting board, he’s not even on it. I’ve never talked to the kid. All this [expletive] hype [expletive] on the phone, it’s stupid. He just probably said, ‘You know what, [expletive] you. I don’t want 75, I want a 120. I may go to Arizona.’ That’s all that was.”

Dawkins made a joke about Wade overpaying for recruits.

Dawkins: “And Will Wade — I told Book, I said, ‘Will Wade is like driving up the price of [players]. Cause he’s not even doing like real numbers.’ ”

Miller: “I tell you what, ‘I’ll give him credit. He’s got a big set of balls on him.’ ”

Dawkins: “No, Will Wade doesn’t give a [expletive], Sean.”

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The film also plays in its entirety a previously reported call between Dawkins and Wade where Wade alludes to a “strong-arse offer” he made to a player that is presumed to be Javonte Smart, then a top recruit from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

A transcript of that call was originally reported by Yahoo Sports in March of 2019.

“I think the only way you can interpret someone in a head coaching position saying that they made a strong-arse offer, they ain’t talking about a scholarship offer, bro,” Dawkins says in the film. “One-hundred percent talking about money.”

Dawkins offered plenty of respect to Wade for keeping his job despite the details of the call coming out.

“Will Wade is definitely a gangster for what he did,” Dawkins said.

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[quote]I watched an advance copy of the movie this week.

The audio—some of which was not entered into federal court and has never been heard before—will provide pertinent, first-hand information for NCAA investigators working to finalize cases involving LSU and Arizona. Much of that information comes from the mouths of the coaches themselves. That’s a significant development. Then it will be up to LSU and Arizona to decide how they want to justify the continued employment of Wade and Miller.

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“Who does a majority of the talking in the calls? It’s not Christian. The coaches are asking him for help, talking about who they could make offers to.”

This film is the first time Dawkins has been interviewed about the scandal. He is cocksure, unvarnished, unafraid and compelling on camera. He also says Wade and Miller are flat-out lying about not paying their basketball players, or doing business with him.

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Dawkins on Wade: “Just the audacity, you’ve got to take your hat off to him, bro. … Will Wade is definitely a f------ gangster for what he did.”

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It should land especially heavily in Baton Rouge, where Wade has evaded direct questions about what he says on tape for more than a year. When he met the media at Southeastern Conference spring meetings in late May 2019, the questions about the “strong-arse offer” tape were met with a weak-arse response: ”I have not heard the recording, so I don’t know. I don’t think any of us have heard the recordings.”

Now we’ve heard the recordings. Among the coach’s comments: “I was thinking last night on this Smart thing. I’ll be honest with you, I’m f------ tired of dealing with the thing. Like I’m just f------ sick of dealing with the s---. “I went to him with a f------ strong-arse offer about a month ago. F------ strong. But the problem was, I know why he didn’t take it now, because it was it was f------ tilted toward the family a little bit. But I mean, it was a f------ hell of a f------ offer. Hell of an offer. Especially for a kid who is going to be a two- or three-year kid. I’ve made deals for a lot of players who are as good as him that were f------ a lot simpler than this.”

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