San Diego Avoids NCAA Violations for Point-Shaving Scandal

February 2, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Toreros players react after taking a lead during the second half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Gonzaga won 65-63. Mandatory Credit: Photo By Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The University of San Diego athletic department can now take a sigh of relief, because today they learned that there beloved basketball program will not be facing any penalties for a point shaving scandal that was connected to the school. The scandal surfaced its ugly head to the public in 2011, and has not been dismissed since.

For those that are unaware of the situation, San Diego’s all-time leading scorer Brandon Johnson and former assistant coach T.J. Brown were both paid money by gamblers to affect the outcome of games. Johnson was paid around $1,000 per game for his contributions to the scandal, and Brown was paid a handsome sum of $10,000 per game for his role in this conspiracy. Not every game was manipulated by point-shaving, or it would become much too obvious. However, there were many games that were altered by gamblers that convinced Johnson to pass up shots, or miss free throws so that they would cover a certain spread.

In total, the scandal netted over $120,000. For a more in-depth analysis of the controversy, read Michael McKnights in-depth article that highlights the FBI investigation behind the scandal here.

This news is a great sign for the University of San Diego. Although the scandal has long passed, it has seemingly hung over the university for quite some time now. Now that the NCAA has cleared them of any violation, Bill Grier can finally move on from this terrible situation and focus solely on winning basketball games.