Report: LSU's Wade caught discussing recruiting 'offer'
LSU head coach Will Wade can be heard on a 2017 phone call expressing his frustration with a recruitment "offer" made to an unnamed prospect, according to Yahoo Sports' Pat Forde, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel.
Former sports agent Christian Dawkins is the other voice on a call the FBI intercepted. He was sentenced Tuesday to six months in prison for his role in a recruitment scandal that's rocking college basketball.
In the conversation, Wade complains about an individual identified only as "Smart" refusing to accept a "strong-ass offer."
“I was thinking last night on this Smart thing," Wade is reportedly overheard saying. "I'll be honest with you, I'm (expletive) tired of dealing with the thing. Like I'm just (expletive) sick of dealing with the (expletive). Like, this should not be that (expletive) complicated."
It's not clear who Wade is referring to in the discussion. Javonte Smart, a freshman guard at the school, announced his commitment to the university on June 30, 2017. According to ESPN's Mark Schlabach, records show at least three phone calls between Dawkins and a phone number belonging to Wade that occurred June 19-30, 2017.
It's also unclear what Wade was supposedly offering, though he's later heard audibly frustrated about appealing too much to the individual's family and not enticing him enough.
"The problem was, I know why he didn't take it now, it was (expletive) tilted toward the family a little bit," he said. "It was tilted toward taking care of the mom, taking care of the kid. Like it was tilted towards that.
"Now I know for a fact he didn't explain everything to the mom. I know now, he didn't get enough of the piece of the pie in the deal."
Wade was asked about the report on Thursday. He acknowledged its existence but didn't go into further detail.
“I haven't read it,” he said, according to NOLA.com's Amie Just. "I don't have any comment on that. ... We'll move forward as we need to."
Both Dawkins and LSU athletic director Joe Alleva didn't comment to Yahoo Sports, and Smart's family couldn't be reached.
Wade was named head coach of the Tigers in 2017. He's led them to a 43-20 record over the last two seasons.