The former marketing agent of New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson, Gina Ford, filed in court documents that Zion received impermissible benefits from several sources, including Nike and Adidas. Ford wants all guilty parties to admit what they did.
Attorney Daniel Wallach tweeted her request for admission to these rules infractions.
NEW: Zion Williamson’s former marketing agent has served requests for admission in their lawsuit asking him to admit that he received “money, benefits, favors or other things of value” to attend Duke University and to wear and/or use Nike and Adidas.
Wow. That escalated quickly. pic.twitter.com/59gWX5bNKX
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) May 10, 2020
Sounds like somebody (Ford) is obviously scorned or got cut out of a deal and now wants to blow up Zion, Duke, Nike, Adidas, and any other company that may have broken bread with the rookie prior to him gaining pro eligibility.
Honestly, I doubt anyone will care because Zion generated billions for TV, Duke, college basketball, and everyone else during his one season at Duke, which he wouldn’t have even attended if there was one and done rule. He got nothing financially out of it and almost hurt himself in the process when his sneaker exploded and was forced to miss significant time during the season.
Let’s be real. Zion deserved to get paid and if he had to do his one fake year in college, we had to kind of figure that he wasn’t just going to Duke to build his brand. His brand was pretty much built upon entering Duke. They probably had to present him with some kind of monetary package to get him to go there.
If you are under the impression that these young kids just want to go to Duke because Coach K there or its Duke then you’ve been living in a bubble. And Nike and Adidas are all business. They definitely don’t respect the NCAA rules when a player like Zion, who can generate millions for everyone is on the market.
More details will surely surface on this subject, but it sounds to me like somebody is angry that they got cut out of some paper and have decided to snitch.
