Kansas could lose Silvio De Sousa due to college hoops scandal

The Kansas Jayhawks may be the latest school to get dinged from the FBI investigation into college basketball corruption.

In case you missed it, Kansas sophomore Silvio De Sousa is one of many current and former college players being dragged into the investigation, as he (or someone around him) may have received payments during his high school recruitment.

Now, a report from KUSports.com suggests De Sousa could be ruled ineligible to play basketball for Kansas this upcoming season.

At that trial, Casey Donnelly, an attorney for former Adidas executive Jim Gatto, on Tuesday admitted that her client paid $20,000 to get Silvio De Sousa to attend the University of Kansas to play basketball.

William H. Brooks, an Alabama lawyer who has represented universities facing NCAA infractions, told the Journal-World on Wednesday the admission could make De Sousa ineligible to play for KU in the future, but may not result in sanctions for the university.

There’s also concern that Kansas could have to forfeit wins from last season, which included a Final Four berth, though it appears that’s less likely than De Sousa being unable to play this upcoming season.

Even if Kansas escapes punishment, losing De Sousa would be a major loss for a team ranked No. 1 in several preseason polls. Most experts view Kansas and Kentucky as the favorites to win it all next season, and they’ll face off in Rupp Arena for the annual Big 12/SEC Challenge.

Depending on how fast the trial goes and how much information comes out, we could see several schools forced to hold out key players this upcoming season due to potential involvement in the scandal.

If you’re Kansas, is this enough information to keep De Sousa from playing to start the season?

That’s the question a lot of schools may unfortunately be facing this year, though to this point, most of the players mentioned in pay-for-play schemes have already moved on to the pros, including Kyle Kuzma, Collin Sexton, Brian Bowen, Markelle Fultz and Dennis Smith Jr.

Imagine how crazy college basketball would have been if this came up while they were all still in college or being recruited in high school.

There will be more shoes to drop, but for now, Kansas looks like one of the schools likeliest to be affected by it, though they still have plenty of firepower to overcome the potential loss of De Sousa.

Be sure to read the entire report here.