At that point, I was looking forward to a trial, said Cobb. First Republic seized by regulators and sold to JPMorgan. Im not angry at the school. I was relishing that moment. The game was televised so Hill and Burke watched together, having staked $85,000 between them. More regulations and laws results in more eyes scrutinizing each game. Alswanger, my high school coach inspired me to rise above my circumstances, he continued. Mr. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the scores of six games that season to provide betting coups for gamblers. In another, he says the fixing began with a big win for the wise guys when Boston College, favored by 12 points, beat Harvard by just three, 86-83. In among the many questions he asked, McDonald enquired as to why he had been going to Boston so frequently. was favored to win a game by ten points, Kuhn had to make sure, if the game was in play with the mobsters and the bookies, that they won by less than ten in order for the gamblers to make money. Devin Willocks Father Going After Georgia Bulldogs For $2 Million After Sons Death In SUV Driven By UGA Staffer. Four Others Convicted. The FBI were unable to prove that fixing had occurred from examining the games. Burke had Hill fly to Boston on November 16, 1978, to meet with Mazzei, Kuhn, Tony Perla, and any other member of the Eagles team interested in participating in their scheme. But by the next summer, in 1980, he sparkled while playing for the New Jersey Nets during the pre-season. Forty-four years later, the full truth about the Boston College points-shaving scandal is still unknown. A look at who the key figures were in the Boston College point shaving scandal: Rick Kuhn Read full article Get 6 Months of Unlimited Access for $1 Laura Segall for the Boston Globe Ernie. I feel like I did all that fighting after I lost my dream of playing in the NBA, and it was all in vain. Hill was listed as a co-conspirator, but was not named as a defendant. McDonald has answered questions about Mr. Cobb's status by say ing that the Justice Department's investigation is continuing. First he and Rick wanted $3,500 a game, but I wound up chewin em down to $2,500., Sweeney took out one of those little schedule cards, circled the games he thought they could fool with, and gave the card to me, said Hill. In testimony before the President's Commission on Organized Crime, the former player, Rick Kuhn, said he thought college basketball players were most vulnerable to offers from gamblers ''in their junior and senior years, when it becomes reality that they're not going to have lucrative careers as players.'' By my junior year, it was show-time, said Cobb. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. We werent really checking for B.C. They were touting me as the next sub-6-footer to have an impact in the NBA. Hill and Burke were brought into the scheme, after receiving approval from Lucchese family capo Paul Vario. And yeah, I took that money. Bookmakers, on seeing the heavy action, moved the line as high as twelve to discourage bets on the favorite (St. John's) and attract more bets on the underdog. With Roccos high school buddy Rick Kuhn entering his senior year at Boston College, where he was expected to be a contributor to the schools basketball team, the brothers figured they could make a ton of money. Ex-convict at center of scheme, was connected to Kuhn by one of the players high school friends. He recently earned his Masters Degree in Education and is currently considering pursuing a Ph.D. I feel like Ive led a remarkable life, he said. Racing tipster James Boyle is back with more horse racing tips, covering key meetings in the UK & Ir Football fans are searching for 'Rasmus Hojlund next club odds' and we've looked at the betting. And despite friends urging Sweeney to report what was happening, he refused as he didnt want to hurt Kuhn. And as black kids who loved ball in Boston, he represented something for us, giving the younger generation something to aspire toin terms of their basketball skillsbecause he was putting in some serious work.. Sweeney took out one of those little schedule cards, circled the games he thought we could fool around with, and gave the card to me. Did it start out with a loss for the gamblers on Dec. 6, 1978, when Boston College handily beat Providence, 83-64? Zimmerman also asked the court to consider Kuhn's 'crime-free background' and his cooperation with federal authorities in the Cobb case. Point shaving is a form of fixing. Terms and Conditions He was a murderer and a horrible human being. Also involved were bookmakers across the East Coast. According to Hill, Jimmy went nuts. My moment had arrived. Rocco comes up to me and says, Hey, sometimes I bet on games and I wanna know how you think you guys are gonna do against Stonehill and Bentley? said Cobb. He traveled throughout the world, getting paid to play the game that he loved. The spread was for them to win by seven though, so the bet lost. I feel like if I can change one life, like he changed mine, man, it makes everything Ive been through worthwhile.. Kuhn, whose 10-year prison sentence for his part in the 1978-79 Boston College scheme was reduced to four years after he testified against a teammate, will be released from federal prison in. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn, jailed for his 1981 conviction in a point-shaving scandal, has asked for a reduction of his 10-year prison sentence. Its very hard to detect. It is your responsibility to check your local regulations before playing online. Admitting he accepted $1,000 for the game only fuels the speculation. He is benched in his final year. On February 10, Boston College faced Holy Cross. When he was implicated in the scandal, I was shocked.. Standard editorial rights. I didn't even consider it a crime.. Im going off on the basketball court, scoring like crazy, the gamblers are losing their shirts, and they start talking about, We have to have Cobb. Anybody thats ever seen me play knows that I was only stuck in one gear, and that was super-charged-turbo! I was like, Yeah, whatever. Sure enough, a few weeks later, he hands my girlfriend an envelope. In imposing what are believed to be the stiffest punishments ever given to a college athlete for fixing games, Judge Bramwell rejected an appeal for leniency by Gary Zimmerman, Mr. Kuhn's lawyer, who had asked the judge to consider an alternative sentence, such as publicservice work. Hill went into witness protection and died in 2012 of a heart attack. And who better than the teams top scorer, Ernie Cobb? Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn will go on trial today for his alleged participation in a "point shaving" incident during the 1978-1979 basketball season. The conspirators chose the January 17, 1979, game against Connecticut to implement this plan. Gambling can be addictive. "Ive bought him a colour TV and paid for some work on his car.". All of Henry Hills and the Perla brothers information was coming from Rick Kuhn, and who knows what he was saying to them to cover his own skin., (Jim Sweeney, Photo Credit: tampabay.com), Kuhn and Sweeney got in over their heads, Cobb continued. I never got to realize my dream of playing in the NBA, but Ive been all over the globe and have experienced so many different and beautiful cultures. Id call Rick (Kuhn), Id tell him the point spread on the Boston College game, and Rick would say if theyd have a chance or not.. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. My parents have suffered. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. It was a tragedy that he never got another chance to play in the NBA., Kevin Loughery never gave me a firm reason why the Nets were letting me go, said Cobb. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. Enter Rick Kuhn, a senior forward for the Boston College basketball team during the 1978-79 season. 2011-2023 But by his sophomore year, when he was inserted into the starting lineup, it was apparent that the 5-foot-11 scorer brought a dimension to the Boston College squad that it sorely needed when he averaged 17.4 points per game. In addition, they were given the opportunity to bet the money they were paid and double their winnings. Mazzei, Hill and the Perlas devised a plan to rip off bookies without having players throw games. The characters and events were later immortalized by the actors Ray Liotta and Robert DeNiro in the classic film, Goodfellas. A former Boston College basketball player who has spent two years in prison for conspiring with professional gamblers to rig games told a Federal commission on crime yesterday about his role in the scandal and warned college athletes not to ''jeopardize their futures'' by succumbing to the temptations of ''big money.''. #10. Sweeney allegedly only took one envelope with $500 but maintains he didnt really participate. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball forward Richard Kuhn and four other people were indicted today on federal racketeering and bribery charges in a point shaving scheme, the FBI announced . TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Any recount of the BC points-shaving scandal should come with a free CharlieCard for a story with more twists and turns than the citys T system. Confident from their recent success, the conspirators viewed the February 10 game against Holy Cross as an opportunity to reap the full benefits of their scheme. Also indicted in US District Court in Brooklyn, New York were: James Burke, a reputed organized crime leader, Anthony and Rocco Perla of Pittsburgh, and Paul Mazzei. I was forthright and honest with them. The December 16 game against Harvard was chosen as the second test for the scheme. ----Wider Inquiry at Memphis State A former FBI agent hired by Memphis State earlier this year to adviseathletes on how to stay away from drug dealers and gamblers is now taking his job a step further. We were looking good as a team and my goal was to be the best player I could possibly be. I just had to be alone, Cobb told the reporters afterwards. "As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.". He hugged his tearful mother before walking out into the hallway for a few moments. According to Hill in Wiseguy [2] - Nicholas Pileggis book which became the basis for GoodFellas - Perla had been cultivating Kuhn for over a year. Heading into his senior season in 1978-1979, as the team captain, Cobb was hoping that he could lead his team to the NCAA Tournament. A look at who the key figures were in the Boston College point shaving scandal: Kuhn was a BC player at the center of the controversy. I was like, You gotta be kidding me! Jim Sweeney and Rick Kuhns names werent mentioned anywhere. But Kuhn was a player of limited ability, so he recruited his roommate and best friend, who also happened to be the most important player on the floor, the teams senior point guard, Jim Sweeney. I didnt like dealing with a third party I didnt know and had never metBut the word came back that Cobb was enthusiastic and, dont worry Henry, nothing can screw up now., In the 30-for-30 documentary that ESPN just aired, Henry Hill admits that he never talked to me, said Cobb. They were just doing their jobs. You're going to get us killed, Sweeney recalled. Kuhn was convicted with four other men in November of taking part in the scheme in which six Boston College basketball games were fixed during the 1978-1979 season. When Henry Hill started threatening Kuhn and Sweeney, promising that they couldnt play with broken limbs, the players, according to Hill, claimed that they were doing their best, but the scheme would never work unless Ernie Cobb was in on the fix. However, he later told McDonald that everything said at the trial was true except for one thing: despite his denials, Sweeney was an active participant in the scam. Golub was a brilliant lawyer, and he told me that hed have to interview Ernie first to see if he was gonna take the case on. Mr. Kuhn will become eligible for parole after serving one-third of his sentence. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Once the FBI arrested Hill the following year though, it all came out. After he interviewed him, he fell in love with him and told me, Hes innocent. Kuhn said the gamblers did not keep their promise to pay him $2,500 for every game, some of which Boston College lost. Instead, theyd shave points to win against the spread. ''A substantial argument can be offered,'' Judge Bramwell said, ''that a substantial term of incarceration imposed on this defendant will be recalled in the future by another college athlete who may be tempted to compromise his performance.''.
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