Athletic director says WSU had 'no knowledge' of transactions in VanVleet allegation

Wichita State athletic director Darron Boatright issued a statement following Friday morning’s report by Yahoo! Sports that indicated former Shocker Fred VanVleet and his stepfather, Joe Danforth, received a combined $3,000 from a sports agency during VanVleet’s senior season in 2015-16.

“We are dedicated to conducting all aspects of Wichita State’s intercollegiate athletic programs with integrity and in full compliance with NCAA and American Athletic Conference rules,” Boatright said in an e-mail. “We have no knowledge of the transactions described in the Yahoo report published this morning. We will fully cooperate with any formal inquiries from NCAA or legal authorities regarding this matter.”

The report, which includes expense reports from ASM Sports, shows VanVleet’s name next to $1,070 under the subtitle, “Loan to Players,” updated through Dec. 31, 2015. Later in the document, on an expense sheet from March 2, 2016 to March 25, 2016, Danforth’s name appears in a spreadsheet indicating he received an advance of $2,000.

During VanVleet’s senior season in 2015-16, which he was chosen the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, WSU finished 26-9 and had its season ended by Miami (Fla.) in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on March 19, 2016.

At a news conference with media Friday in advance of No. 13 WSU’s game against SMU on Saturday, WSU assistant coach Donnie Jones declined to comment specifically on the situation.

“I think the focus is about this team,” Jones said. “This team has nothing to do with anything else and this is a great group of kids. They’ve continued to get better and better each game. We feel like we’re playing our best basketball, but we still think there’s another level for this team to go to.”

School officials and WSU coach Gregg Marshall have declined to discuss the situation further, referring all queries to Boatright’s statement.

An e-mail request sent to the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, VanVleet’s current team, has not been returned answered.

This story was originally published February 23, 2018 at 2:34 PM with the headline "Athletic director says WSU had 'no knowledge' of transactions in VanVleet allegation."