Langford's relationship with Adidas does not appear to have broken any laws or NCAA rulesUSA TODAY
Adidas "played a crucial role in giving its sponsored college teams ... a lift over the competition" in the recruitment of high school basketball player Romeo Langford, who subsequently chose to attend Indiana over Kansas and Vanderbilt, according to Will Hobson of the WASHINGTON POST. Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino and Adidas sources said that early last year, the brand "won a much-less-publicized recruiting battle with Nike and Under Armour for Langford, whose father had made it known that he wanted to run his own youth basketball team featuring his son." Adidas, Nike and UA "each operate basketball leagues, which they use to develop relationships with high school prospects they hope to sign to endorsement deals if they reach the NBA, and to steer top talent to their sponsored college teams." In January '17, Pitino said that two Adidas officials "met with him to discuss their efforts to keep Nike and Under Armour from landing Langford." Pitino said, "The way they phrased it, it was (whichever shoe company) was going to pay the dad’s AAU program the most money, gets it." A few days later, Adidas’ AAU league "added a new team: Twenty Two Vision, featuring Romeo Langford on the court" and his father, Tim Langford, as the team's director. Tim Langford "denied the sponsorship had any influence on his son's college decision." Langford’s recruiting "demonstrates the inextricable connections between apparel companies and college basketball programs, the subject of an ongoing Justice Department probe" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/17). In Indianapolis, Zach Osterman notes barring some "yet-to-be-uncovered misdeeds," Langford's relationship with Adidas does "not appear to have broken any laws or NCAA rules" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/17).
