The NCAA is alleging that LSU men’s basketball coach Will Wade directed “impermissible payments” to at least 11 recruits, ESPN reported on Wednesday morning. 
ESPN obtained documents that say the NCAA’s enforcement staff learned Wade “arranged for, offered and/or provided impermissible payments, including cash payments, to at least 11 men’s basketball prospective student-athletes, their family members, individuals associated with the prospects and/or nonscholastic coaches in exchange for the prospects’ enrollment at LSU.”
In 2019, Wade was suspended and subsequently reinstated during the Tigers’ NCAA tournament run after audio recordings came to light of Wade discussing a “strong ass offer” he had made to a high-end recruit, widely believed to be now-LSU point guard Javonte Smart. The parties involved in the audio released by “The Scheme” included Wade and Christian Dawkins, a former runner for an NBA agent and aspiring business manager. 
The NCAA’s enforcement staff requested that the case proceed through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process, formed to adjudicate complex cases. 
NCAA vice president of enforcement Jonathan Duncan wrote in a July 15 letter that the Wade case met the criteria required to refer the case to IARP. 
“Many of those factors are triggered by the actions of Will Wade, head men’s basketball coach at Louisiana State University,” Duncan wrote. “Some of his underlying actions gave rise to this case and his tactics during the investigation have delayed resolution dramatically. He is employed in a leadership position at LSU, yet the institution has been unable to secure his full cooperation and is accountable for his behavior.”
LSU amended Wade’s contract in 2019 as part of his reinstatement deal. Wade agreed not to sue LSU if fired with cause, if the coach is found guilty of Level I or Level II violations.