Allegations: Clint Hurtt
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Nevin Shapiro on Hurtt: Play audio
Clint Hurtt was named by Nevin Shapiro during recorded interviews with federal agents. During those interviews, the booster also admitted supplying benefits to an array of Miami players from 2002 to 2010. Among Shapiro's allegations involving Hurtt:
Clint Hurtt
(AP)
- Clint Hurtt
Position: Defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator
Miami career: Reputed to be one of the best college football recruiters in the country, Hurtt spent three seasons as the Hurricanes’ defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator. All three of his recruiting classes with Miami were ranked in the top 20 by Rivals.com, including 19th in 2007, fifth in 2008 and 15th in 2009. Hurtt left Miami to join the staff at Louisville in 2010.
• According to summary documents acquired by Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro told federal agents in taped interviews that on two occasions, he paid for Hurtt to bring large groups of Hurricanes football recruits to dinner at Miami Beach restaurant Café Grazie.
• Also according to summary documents acquired by Yahoo! Sports, Shapiro told federal agents in taped interviews that he provided Hurtt an interest-free loan of $5,000 – one $2,500 cash payment and one $2,500 check. Shapiro said during his interviews with federal agents that Hurtt did repay the loans. However, Shapiro said he knew it was an NCAA violation to provide interest-free loans to coaches.
• On a Friday night in 2008, Shapiro said Hurtt arranged to bring three Miami recruits – Andre Debose, Ray-Ray Armstrong and Dyron Dye – to Shapiro's $6 million Miami Beach mansion for the purposes of the booster recruiting the players. Then-wide receivers coach Aubrey Hill also attended the players' visit to Shapiro's home.
• During his Friday night recruiting pitch, Shapiro took Hurtt, Hill, Debose, Armstrong and Dye through his mansion, stopping at one point to showcase a specially built closet filled with game-worn college and NFL jerseys of former Hurricanes greats. After the tour of the house, Shapiro took the three players for a drive on Alton Road in his $200,000 Mercedes S65.
• Shapiro said Hurtt was also on hand when he entertained Debose, Armstrong and Dye in his mansion. Shapiro said another recruit, Olivier Vernon, was also on hand. He said Vernon's visit to the booster's home was also arranged by Hurtt.
Corroborating accounts
• One source corroborated Shapiro having paid for bills for Hurtt and a large group of athletes at Café Grazie on two occasions. The source said that on each occasion, Shapiro called the restaurant and made the owners aware that Hurtt would be bringing a large group in for a meal, with explicit instructions that the bills be charged to the booster's American Express black card.
• Yahoo! Sports acquired a canceled $2,500 check to corroborate Shapiro's claim of giving Hurtt an interest-free loan. The check, which includes a signature on the back, is dated July 31, 2009.
• One source corroborated Shapiro's account of Hurtt arranging for Debose, Armstrong and Dye to visit his home on a recruiting visit.
In Shapiro's words
• "[Clint Hurtt] became a really good friend of mine. He kept me posted on what was going on with the recruiting inside the university. I lent Clint $5,000, which consisted of two $2,500 payments. One, I wrote him a check. The other I gave him cash. He repaid both loans to me."
• "Clint was the liason between myself and recruits that were coming to check out Miami. He would arrange for them to come by my house, which he did with Andre Debose, Dyron Dye and Ray-Ray Armstrong. In the same visit, [recruit] Olivier Vernon came [to my house] on the next day – the same either unofficial or official visit for [Debose, Dye and Armstrong]. Olivier Vernon was a local product."
• "Whenever he would have big recruit meetings or big weekend visits, on two separate occasions, he went to Café Grazie restaurant on 7th and Washington Avenue on Miami Beach. [Café Grazie] had my credit card on file, which was an American Express black card."
Nevin Shapiro's cell phone providers condensed his calling records from 2002 to 2008 and deleted the booster's text messaging records prior to 2009. Despite a significant portion of his records being expunged, Yahoo! Sports was able to identify 305 calls or texts between Shapiro and Clint Hurtt from 2009 to the booster's incarceration in 2010. These are two pages showing communication between the booster and two phone numbers linked to Hurtt. PDF file
Shapiro says this check was half of an interest-free $5,000 loan to former Hurricanes assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt. Such loans violate NCAA rules. PDF file
Hurtt could not be reached for comment through the University of Louisville.
