The Perla brothers proposed a simple scheme: they, along with Kuhn, would select certain basketball games where the projected point spread separating Boston College from its opponent was expected to be significant. Democrats, Republicans remain split on debt ceiling plan. But you might not know that the mobsters portrayed in the film were responsible for one of the biggest scandals in basketball history, and that it was this scam, rather than the numerous robberies and murders, which saw the most powerful Irish-American gangster of all time incarcerated for the rest of his days. Loughery told me that I had the ability to play in the NBA. 30 Years After His Exoneration, Former BC Hoops Star Ernie Cobb Is Still Fighting to Clear His Name Pt. In this case, while the line may have opened, or at one time gone to two, because of the heavy betting on Holy Cross, the syndicate had to lay as many as seven points, and therefore lost their bet. Perla and his brother, Rocco, were into numbers rackets. like that until he got there. Boston College Men's Basketball's 1977-1978 Season. However, he later told McDonald that everything said at the trial was true except for one thing: despite his denials, Sweeney was an active participant in the scam. #ada-button-frame { Yes, all of our slot games have a free play mode where you can use demo credits to play the gam ''It looked like big money,'' said Kuhn, who is 29 years old, and whose 10-year sentence has been reduced to a scheduled 28 months after he appealed for a reduction. It was a tragedy that he never got another chance to play in the NBA., Kevin Loughery never gave me a firm reason why the Nets were letting me go, said Cobb. I admitted to receiving that money, and spending it. All of those guys walkedin his footsteps., He was the African-American guard in the modern era of B.C. Daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Shaquil Barrett drowns in family pool. Said Hill, "He wanted me to fly up to Boston. Kuhn, Mazzei and Tony Perla were convicted and sentenced to 10 years. She helped tutor me, and encouraged me through some rough spots. NEW YORK -- Former Boston College basketball player Rick Kuhn, jailed for his 1981 conviction in a point-shaving scandal, has asked for a reduction of his 10-year prison sentence. As the wallets, Burke and Co. ultimately became the schemes kingpins. They were aware that bookmakers generally accepted large bets on this game both because Boston College and Holy Cross were traditional rivals and because the game was being nationally televised. won by only two points and I had a lot of losing money down on this game. When he did play in games that were supposed to be rigged, Kuhn said he did not concentrate on the point margin until ''the last five minutes of the game, when it was really important.'' As it was, BC were beaten 98-96 and the money was lost, thanks to Cobb scoring eight points in the final minute. I walk in the bathroom, and who was in there but Peter Vario, the big-time mobster that was on trial with Ernie, said Alswanger. But that had nothing to do with shaving points., At the time, I was nave, Cobb continued. Ed Guevara, a former FBI Special Agent, recalls viewing hours of footage. GDC Media Limited. Of course, the damn players had a million excuses, Henry Hill wrote in Sports Illustrateds bombshell story, How I Put The Fix In, which was the magazines cover story on February 16th, 1981. Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages. Kuhn, 28, was one of five people found guilty of conspiracy to engage in racketeering and other charges that stemmed from a point-shaving scheme hatched for the 1978-79 school season. Rick Kuhn Sentenced to 10 Years - The New York Times He was determined to prove that he could do the work, which would enable him to further chase his athletic dreams. The campus was so beautiful. Betting big money on college basketball is very hard because very few bookies get into it seriously. To allay any suspicions of foul play, they decided to bet on Boston College to win by more than the point spread ("cover the spread") in a game that they were confident the Eagles would win handily. There were times when the work got really hard, when I wanted to give up, when I had to stay up all night reading or studying or writing papers, and shed be right there pushing me, telling me, You cant give up! Sweeney was a businessman like me. He told me to keep playing and working hard and that one day I might get another chance., When the story first broke in January of 1981, Cobb was in shock. Especially those who, as far back as they can remember, always wanted to be a gangster. H e refused comment yesterday on whether any attempt had been made to get Mr. Kuhn to cooperate in this investigation for consideration s in his sentencing. When the story first broke, it said that Michael Bowie and I were the ones implicated, said Cobb. With Rocco's high school buddy Rick Kuhn entering his senior year at Boston College, where he was expected to be a contributor to the school's basketball team, the brothers figured they. Perla and Kuhn had gone to high school together and were good friends. It wasnt an absolute disaster but it was a cousin. They kept saying that they liked the idea of just shaving points and not blowing the games." Do you recognize him? And my answer every time was, No! I didnt recognize any of those mobsters because I had never met them. They showed me these pictures of these mafia guys and were asking me, Do you know him? But for Bowie, it was too little, too late. The Providence game was played on December 6, 1978, and Boston College was favored to win by six to seven points. On June 23rd, 1983, more than four years after hed played his final game at Boston College, Ernie Cobb was indicted and charged with taking cash bribes to alter the outcomes of games against Harvard, Rhode Island and Fordham. Mr. Kuhn, a reserve forward on the 1978-79 Boston College team, and four other men were convicted last November of a plot to manipulate the scores of six games that season to provide betting. Admitting he accepted $1,000 for the game only fuels the speculation. Cobb later cleared his name, and Sweeney was never charged. While the season of points-shaving unfolded, an even bigger crime went down that year. The drug dealer, Paul Mazzei, introduced the mobster, Henry Hill, to his friend, Tony Perla. But I found out that I wouldnt be allowed to leave the United States because the government was going to bring me to trial.. In 1978, Hill was introduced to Tony Perla, who told Hill that he had a friend on the Boston College men's basketball team. The Perla brothers were small-time gamblers who saw the upcoming 197879 Boston College Eagles basketball season as a perfect opportunity to earn a lot of money. Investigation Is Continuing. The Boston Globe reported on Friday that Cobb and Bowie are targets of the federal probe into allegations of point-shaving in three Eagles games. Unlike Kuhn, Sweeney had a clean-cut image. He recruited teammates Ernie Cobb and Jim Sweeney into the ring, after becoming connected with ex-convicts Paul Mazzei and Henry Hill. In addition, they were given the opportunity to bet the money they were paid and double their winnings. They knew how to shave, because when I tried to explain to them, they said, Naw, we know all that shit.. The ex-girlfriend of a former Boston College basketball player - UPI In early February, Boston College was scheduled to play two New York State teams, Fordham and St. John's. Did it start out with a loss for the gamblers on Dec. 6, 1978, when Boston College handily beat Providence, 83-64? "Ive bought him a colour TV and paid for some work on his car.". Hes a good person. #10. It wasnt until I actually saw him play that I realized how special he was as an offensive talent. Boston College Men's Basketball's 1977-1978 Season - Getty Images But I dont feel any bitterness toward the prosecution. If the scam was to work, they needed another player. I loved it in Israel, the fans loved me and the people were so beautiful. Mr. H ill subsequently identified the other figures involved, includ ing Mr. Kuhn. I needed a string of bookmakers, maybe 10 or 15. If the limit is $25,000, then anything above that, they call somebody else and get them to take it. The story: Three Boston College players -- leading scorer Ernie Cobb, forward Richard Kuhn and Sweeney, the team's point guard -- were fingered by Hill for participating in the point-shaving scheme. Golub was a brilliant lawyer, and he told me that hed have to interview Ernie first to see if he was gonna take the case on. 197879 Boston College basketball point-shaving scandal. It is your responsibility to check your local regulations before playing online. It was all so positive.. The Shadow League is a narrative company. Rocco Perla was sentenced to four and Kuhn was released after 28 months. But Im so proud of him because he picked his life back up and made the best of it. He graduated on time with a degree in sociology. Rocco and Tony Perla were giving money to Rick Kuhn. On Friday morning, March 23rd, the jury came back with a unanimous innocent verdict for Ernie Cobb, exonerating him of all charges. They contacted a local friend, Paul Mazzei, who was known to have influence within major New York gambling circles. Henry Hill avoided going to prison, and he went off into the sunset of the governments Witness Protection Program, said Alswanger. Hill flew into Boston, at the behest of Jimmy Burke, late in 1978 to meet with Mazzei, the Perlas, Kuhn and Sweeney at the Logan Airport Hilton and ensure that everything was in place. He didn't want to be bothered with these kids anymore." In 2014, the ESPN-produced 30 for 30 series debuted Playing for the Mob,[6] the story about how Hill and his Pittsburgh associates, and several Boston College basketball players, perpetrated the point-shaving scheme during the 197879 season, an episode briefly mentioned in the movie Goodfellas. To Cobb, it felt like he was being asked for insider info on the team and their prospects. The fifth man convicted, Paul Mazzei, 37, of Pittsburgh, is imprisoned for a narcotics violation and is scheduled to be sentenced for the point-shaving scheme Feb. 12. Ernie, dont lie to me, Alswanger instructed him.
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