NCAA clears Michigan State's Miles Bridges to play after allegations
Rachel Greco
EAST LANSING - Miles Bridges has been cleared to play by the NCAA.
The news came just one day after Yahoo! Sports reported the contents of federal documents it obtained that linked the MSU basketball player's mother, Cynthia Bridges, to Christian Dawkins, the disgraced middleman for former NBA agent Andy Miller and his ASM Sports agency.
“After learning of the allegations in yesterday’s Yahoo! Sports article, our compliance office conducted a thorough internal review," Michigan State University interim athletic director Bill Beekman said in a statement issued Saturday. "Michigan State presented its findings to the NCAA, and Miles Bridges has been cleared for competition moving forward, beginning Sunday at Wisconsin.”
Matt Larson, a spokesperson for the university, said Saturday Bridges was cleared by the NCAA.
MORE ON ALLEGATIONS:
- Couch: Alleged payment to Miles Bridges' mom another ding to Michigan State's reputation
- Report: Christian Dawkins tried to broker deal with Michigan State for Brian Bowen
- Michigan State's Tom Izzo denies wrongdoing in response to Miles Bridges report
- Report: Michigan State basketball star Miles Bridges' mom linked to FBI probe
Dawkins, a Saginaw native, is one of 10 men the FBI charged in a sweeping investigation that uncovered fraud, bribery and corruption in college basketball in September, days before practice began for the 2017-18 season. The U.S. Attorney's Office charged Dawkins with three counts of wire fraud and one count of money-laundering conspiracy.
The connection to Bridges' mom was revealed in Dawkins' ASM expense report documents from May 3, 2016. The documents were seized by the FBI and obtained by Yahoo, and they included two items involving Cynthia Bridges. Those were:
* “Redwood Lodge. Lunch w/Miles Bridges Parents. $70.05.”
* “ATM Withdrawl: Miles Bridges mom advance. $400”
The Yahoo! Sports article did not present evidence that the payment or the lunch had actually taken place.
Also listed on Dawkins’ spreadsheets, according to Yahoo, were paid dinners with MSU basketball coach Tom Izzo.
Contact Rachel Greco at (517) 528-2075 or rgreco@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @GrecoatLSJ.