Alleged Nike Payments Take Center Stage at Avenatti Trial
- The lawyer is on trial for trying to extort millions from Nike
- Witnesses describe nature of Avenatti’s alleged threats
Nike Inc.’s alleged bribery of elite high school basketball players was the subject of testimony by two witnesses at the New York trial of celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, who is charged with trying to extort millions from the footwear giant.
A lawyer for the company testified Monday morning that, despite investigating the matter for over a year, Nike was unaware two of its executives may have made illegal payments to athletes until Avenatti raised the allegations by amateur youth coach Gary Franklin at a March 2019 meeting. On Monday afternoon, jurors heard from a Franklin friend who further described the alleged payments in the course of slamming Avenatti for betraying his client’s interest.