The father of a former star college basketball recruit claimed Tuesday that former Michigan football wide receiver Tai Streets paid him $5,000 before his son got to college.
Brian Bowen Sr., the father of former five-star recruit Brian Bowen Jr., testified in federal court Tuesday, per multiple reports, that Streets — a former receiver at Michigan and the founder of prominent AAU basketball club "Meanstreets" — paid him the money while his son was a member of Street's amateur club. Per Yahoo!'s Dan Wetzel, Bowen Sr. alleged Streets paid him cash while his son was with the AAU club, not necessarily to push his son toward Michigan.
Streets was a wide receiver at Michigan from 1995-98 and a member of the Wolverines' 1997 national title winner. He went on to play six years in the National Football League. He was also a member of Michigan's basketball team in 1997.
Asked whether or not Streets is considered to be a booster of the athletic department, or if Michigan had any knowledge of this situation, the athletic department replied with the following:
“Following testimony in a federal court today, a claim was made that a former U-M student-athlete offered money to a basketball player in exchange for participation on a youth team," a statement read. "Integrity in the college basketball environment is an important issue and we will continue to monitor this situation.”
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