NCAA basketball bribery probe is 'absolutely criminal': Lou Holtz

Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz said Wednesday the arrest of four assistant college basketball coaches and six others, including an Adidas executive, for alleged participation in a corruption scheme is an embarrassment for the NCAA and college basketball.

“When you lose the trust of an athlete and you are using him in order to gain money, that’s absolutely criminal,” Holtz told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney of “Varney & Co.”

Of the four assistant coaches, Oklahoma State University’s Lamont Evans and Auburn University’s Chuck Person, are accused of “soliciting and accepting bribes” ranging from $13,000 to nearly $100,000 in value to influence high school prospects to sign with specific financial advisors and managers.

“These coaches abused that trust placed in them by the players and their families,” U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said at a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the coaches violated both NCAA rules and federal laws.

The bombshell allegations against the NCAA links the University of Louisville’s men’s basketball team to a $100,000 payout to the family of a highly-recruited student.

“Here it is now with Louisville. You have Kentucky in the same state, a great basketball program. You are trying to compete with them. You are trying to be the best. You won a national championship and you do that, I think [Mark] Emmert of the NCAA said it best, ‘This is absolutely unacceptable,’” Holtz said.