Allegations: Aldarius Johnson
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Nevin Shapiro on Johnson: Play audio
Aldarius Johnson was one of dozens of Hurricanes players named by Nevin Shapiro in recorded interviews with federal agents. During those interviews, the booster admitted supplying benefits to an array of Miami players from 2002 to 2010. Shapiro alleges he provided multiple extra benefits to Johnson during the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Among the benefits he claims to have provided:
- Aldarius Johnson
Position: Wide receiver
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Rivals recruiting rank: Ranked as the No. 58 player overall in the Class of 2008.
Miami career: In three seasons, Johnson has amassed 62 catches for 765 yards and four touchdowns. He is expected to fight for a starting wideout spot as a senior this season.
• Dinner at Japanese steakhouse Benihana in 2008 followed by VIP access and approximately $5,000 in entertainment and drinks for Johnson and other players at The Cheetah Gentlemen's Club in North Miami Beach in 2008.
• Approximately $150 to Hurricanes equipment staffer Sean Allen to have Johnson's car removed from a towing lot.
• Multiple cash gifts totaling in the thousands of dollars.
• Pool tournaments for cash at his home in which Johnson won $500.
• Food, drinks and entertainment at Lucky Strike Lanes including a “bowling for dollars” tournament over a weekend in September 2008.
Corroborating accounts
• One source corroborated Johnson and other Miami players receiving a dinner at Benihana and a strip club visit to The Cheetah in 2008 which was paid by Shapiro.
• Yahoo! Sports acquired Shapiro’s September 2008 American Express black card and American Express Platinum card statements showing three charges totaling $2,114.18 from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15 at Lucky Strike Lanes. This is where the booster held his “bowling for dollars” events.
In Shapiro's words
• "Aldarius was always calling me if his mother couldn't pay the bills, or the cat had a problem or the dog ate his homework. I just gifted him money at least 10 times, from the low end being like $50 [to] the high end being probably like $300 to $400. I'd say he took a couple grand from me over the course of time."
• "He just became very heavy maintenance – high maintenance. I inevitably just broke the chain because I couldn't take the calls from him anymore. It was always about wanting something."
These pages from Nevin Shapiro's September 2008 American Express black card and American Express Platinum card statements show three charges totaling $2,114.18 from Sept. 13 to Sept. 15, for a series of "bowling for dollars" events with Miami football players at the upscale Lucky Strike Lanes. The tab covered drinks, food and bowling, and the charges on Sept. 15 were for a bill spanning the evening of the 14th and the early morning of the 15th. Shapiro said he held the tournaments, which paid cash to winning teams, in the off week between road games against Florida and Texas A&M. He said multiple players were in attendance, including Marcus Forston, Sean Spence, Aldarius Johnson, Randy Phillips, Travis Benjamin and JoJo Nicolas. PDF file
Did not respond to a message sent to his Facebook page.
