NEW YORK — A former Adidas consultant was sentenced Tuesday to one year of probation after prosecutors credited him with helping secure convictions against an executive for the shoe company and two others in a college basketball corruption scandal.
Thomas "T.J." Gassnola had pleaded guilty to being a fixer in a scheme to lure prized prospects to Adidas-sponsored hoops programs by funneling tens of thousands of dollars in secret payments to their families.
"I'm sorry for the harm I caused in this matter," Gassnola said at the hearing in federal court in Manhattan.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan imposed the light sentence after being told in court papers that Gassnola's cooperation was critical in expanding the scope of the investigation and providing an "insider's view" of the corrupting influence of corporate money on college basketball.