Former Washington Basketball guard Markelle Fultz implicated in the FBI investigation of NCAA Men’s Basketball
Former Washington Basketball guard Markelle Fultz is making headlines. The story of his NBA career is covered by virtually all sports media, but in all the wrong ways. It all began when his 2017-2018 season shorted-out by a shoulder injury early in the NBA season. From that moment, his injury created a muscular imbalance which led to his shooting mechanics going haywire.
Still, in the weeks that followed, the story exploded. What it is now is a very frustrated media, a very distrusting fan base, and a series of conflicting “official” reports which have muddied the waters. Ultimately, Markelle Fultz needs fan support, and the Philadelphia 76ers need Markell Fultz. And that is plenty for one NBA rookie.
Bad news travels in pairs
Still, bad news seems to be plentiful, particularly in the NCAA Men’s Basketball arena. And so it goes that former Washington Basketball guard Markelle Fultz finds himself the topic of a recent Yahoo Sports article by Pat Forde and Pete Thamel. In the article, Yahoo reports the contents of hundreds of pages of investigation, and names a number of key players implicated in the findings.
Where Markelle Fultz is concerned, the article states specifically:
"“Markelle Fultz, who would go on to play at Washington and become the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, received $10,000 according to the documents. He did not sign with ASM.”"
When the initial reports surfaced of the FBI investigation, it was understood that the matter was just at the early stages. And while those early reports indicated that the investigatio continued, the scope of the fallout remained a mystery.
University of Washington reponds
That changed as of today. And as a result, NCAA universities are responding. And as Washington has now learned of these allegations, they are taking the appropriate steps by investigating the matter.
Here is the official statement the @thenewstribune received from Washington’s athletic department regarding the Markelle Fultz report. #UWHuskies pic.twitter.com/FTBjlVPDVX
— Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark) February 23, 2018
Until those investigations conclude, any presumption of guild is speculation. At this time, there are no allegations of UW participating in this payment model to players. Should investigations prove that Fultz did accept funds, the historic measures of punishment include vacating wins where that player contributed.
Next: 2018 Washington Football has reason for confidence
In the 2016-2017 season, the Washington Basketball team ended at 9-22. So the Huskies will not be harmed even in a worst case scenario. To be clear, at this point nothing is proven or decided. We will continue to monitor this story for future developments