Minnesota Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley may only be trying to wriggle out of a lawsuit, but he inadvertently rocked the his college alma mater in the process.
According to the Associated Press, Beasley is alleging that his former agent Joe Bell and AAU coach Curtis Malone worked together to gain a relationship with the player from the time he was 14 years old through his year in college at Kansas State. Beasley says Bell gave his mother improper cash benefits in order to secure him as a client.
If that is the case, the Kansas State athletic department can expect a call from the NCAA very soon, because of some clear rules violations.
This is all coming out because Beasley in attempting to fight a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by Bell in Maryland last month.
While Kansas State and the Beasley camp have gone silent, Malone and Bell are denying they gave anyone money for Beasley’s business once he reached the NBA.
"The allegations of impropriety against Mr. Malone are baseless as a matter of law and he denies them," attorney Bill Heyman told A.P.
But the story that is laid out certainly makes it appear that Malone’s kindness to Beasley, which included allowing the player to live in his home for a while, were not entirely selfless. Malone made arrangements for Bell to meet with Beasley’s mother, Fatima Smith, and provide her money for traffic violations, rent and car payments while Beasley was a student at Kansas State 2007. Bell also bankrolled Malone’s Washington, D.C.-area AAU team, D.C. Assault, in the hope of landing new clients.
Beasley claims he didn’t know that Bell had been financing his mother until after he signed a contract with the agent. Beasley promptly fired Bell in 2008, before he signed with the Miami Heat as a first-round draft pick.
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