Iowa AD Gary Barta: School has not been contacted by FBI, NCAA amid shoe scandal

IOWA CITY — Anyone curious if or when the University of Iowa might be connected to the shoe company scandal revealed in the last week has their answer. Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said Thursday the UI has not been contacted by the FBI or the NCAA.

While addressing a meeting of the President's Committee on Athletics with UI President Bruce Harreld two seats away, Barta said he's got every confidence in McCaffery and how he runs his program.

Amid the scandal and unsure future of college basketball after four assistant coaches were arrested for fraud and corruption connected to shoe companies and paying players, Barta isn't at all worried about Iowa getting swept up in it.

'We haven't been contacted by any federal authorities, we haven't been contacted by the NCAA and I don't expect to,' Barta said. 'I have that confidence because I believe in Fran and his integrity. That's why I have the confidence. My confidence in Fran's integrity goes back to when I hired him, his reputation before; the NCAA thinks very highly of him and his integrity.'

Iowa has a contract with Nike that provides $3 million in gear this year as its sole provider of athletics apparel and shoes and runs through 2025-26 and earns the school $350,000 per year — and McCaffery $150,000 per year.

Barta said Thursday Iowa has been approached by other shoe companies in the past about switching over, but that Iowa has 'had a great relationship with Nike for a long, long time. … We like our partnership with Nike because it's great service, great relationship; longtime trust. So I'm very comfortable.'

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When the story broke on Sept. 26 that Auburn assistant Chuck Person, USC assistant Tony Bland, Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson and Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans were named in FBI complaints and subsequently arrested, Barta was at a meeting of athletics directors in Washington, D.C.

'I saw ADs leaving the room when the story was breaking,' Barta said. 'It's horrible for the profession, but I'm a glass half-full person. If this is what it takes to clean things up and bring things to 'Do it right,' then we'll get through it.

'I'm not going to speculate (what will happen). I love college sports. I love college basketball. I have no idea where it will end.'

There was a whole lot of hand-wringing nationwide. There was plenty in Louisville, which led to legendary coach Rick Pitino losing his job as adidas' role as the main shoe company culprit was revealed — at least for now.

New York FBI Assistant Director in Charge William Sweeney, in a news conference the afternoon of Sept. 26, said, 'We have your playbook. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are conducting additional interviews as we speak.' Before he made that statement and as the story really took off, Barta made two phone calls: the first to McCaffery and the second to Harreld.

Not because he was worried, he said, but to discuss what it means for the future of college basketball.

'I knew we were OK,' Barta said. 'It was just to talk about what this means to our profession and how discouraging it is.

'In both cases it was just touching base and saying, 'Wow, did you see what happened?' Because the three of us had no knowledge it was coming.'

Barta's belief in McCaffery's integrity extends throughout his coaches, he said, and hearkened back to his three-pronged moniker of 'Win. Graduate. Do it right.'

Barta said he's learning about the story as it plays out the way the rest of the public is — by reading about it. He said a few times in addressing the committee Thursday, 'I don't have any inside information,' stressing repeatedly his department is removed from the spotlight here.

'We're not perfect and we make mistakes, so I'm not trying to paint a picture that's perfect,' Barta said. 'But I do know we have people who want to do it the right way.

'I'm excited about the fact that Lisa Bluder and Fran McCaffery are my coaches and I trust them.'

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