But Kondelis said Thursday that those wiretaps are just a small part of a much bigger story he鈥檚 telling in 鈥淭he Scheme,鈥� a documentary scheduled for a March 31 release that details Dawkins鈥� role in an FBI investigation that ultimately came up short in derailing college basketball鈥檚 big names.

One of the wiretaps played includes Dawkins telling Miller that handlers of five-star recruit Nassir Little 鈥渄efinitely wanted to get some (expletive) for themselves,鈥� and Miller responding by asking, 鈥淢iami doesn鈥檛 have an advantage over us in that area, do they?鈥�

In another, former 蜜柚直播 assistant coach Book Richardson tells Dawkins that Miller has been paying 鈥�10鈥� per month for Deandre Ayton, who had just arrived on campus when the conversation was recorded in July 2017.

鈥淚 know there鈥檚 a whole lot of delusional 蜜柚直播 fans that are on social media right now that will convince themselves that that doesn鈥檛 mean what they don鈥檛 want it to mean,鈥� Kondelis said. 鈥淏ut I think the other part of this is that I take severe issue with any of this being framed in a way that Christian or HBO or myself is attacking Sean Miller and (LSU coach) Will Wade. Nobody cares. I don鈥檛 care at all. I mean, I don鈥檛 want to see anybody get fired. Christian says very plainly that the coaches that were paying players, he thinks, are good guys and the ones that aren鈥檛 are bad guys.鈥�

In May, a jury found Dawkins guilty of bribery and conspiracy to commit bribery. Dawkins told a Star correspondent on the courthouse steps that he never had a conversation with Miller about delivering Ayton despite a February 2018 report that they discussed a $100,000 payment. And Kondelis said Thursday that Dawkins has made it clear that he never talked with Miller about paying Ayton.

Miller denied the ESPN report at the time, saying he 鈥渘ever discussed with Christian Dawkins paying Deandre Ayton to attend the University of 蜜柚直播鈥� and saying that he never met or spoke to Dawkins until after Ayton verbally committed to the UA.

But Kondelis said Dawkins 鈥渄id have that conversation with Book鈥� on July 20, 2017 鈥� a conversation that is played in the movie.

鈥淲e鈥檒l see how Sean plays it out,鈥� Dawkins tells Richardson in 鈥淭he Scheme鈥�. 鈥淵ou know what I鈥檓 saying? We鈥檒l see if he鈥檚 a man of his word. Because he brought it up to me.鈥�

Richardson replies, 鈥淵eah, 鈥檆ause he need help. You know what he doing per month? I told you. Ten.鈥� Richardson, who spent three months in prison after accepting a plea deal, declined to participate in the film.

Of that conversation, Kondelis says:

鈥淐hristian again, ironically, is not even the person that asks,鈥� Kondelis said. 鈥淏ook says, 鈥榊ou know what he鈥檚 doing a month? And he says 鈥�10.鈥� And then Christian鈥檚 like, 鈥榊eah, he鈥檚 paying some real money.鈥欌€�

Kondelis said even though that call is receiving 鈥渟o much attention, to me, it doesn鈥檛 really matter,鈥� since he was trying to show a bigger picture in the documentary.

鈥淭he Scheme鈥� also plays a wiretapped call between Wade and Dawkins in which Wade says he made a 鈥渟trong-ass鈥� offer for recruit Javonte Smart. That call was reported by Yahoo Sports in March 2018 but not aired previously.

Yahoo鈥檚 Dan Wetzel, who was interviewed extensively in 鈥淭he Scheme,鈥� said on his podcast this week that the documentary shows how recruiting can work in the shadows of NCAA amateurism rules.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 care whether Will Wade is the coach or not; I don鈥檛 care if Sean Miller is the coach or not,鈥� Wetzel said. 鈥�... but if you listen to these tapes, and you think Will Wade and Sean Miller are not in on it, I can鈥檛 tell you what to believe. OK? But I鈥檓 not going to be that naive.鈥�

Not only are issues with the NCAA鈥檚 amateurism stance raised during the documentary, but so are issues with the FBI鈥檚 investigation.

The FBI held a news conference following the arrest of Richardson, Dawkins and others where officials described what they said was a scheme: Shoe companies and agents would funnel payments to players via agents and coaches in exchange for promises to steer those players to sign with them as clients after turning pro.

And at the end of the investigation, an investor in Dawkins鈥� firm revealed that she was actually an undercover FBI agent. Dawkins said the FBI told him during a meeting in a hotel suite that he 鈥渨ould be fine鈥� if he could deliver information about names such as Rick Pitino, agent Andy Miller and Sean Miller.

Instead, Dawkins said in the movie, he told FBI agents that he wanted to call a lawyer. As soon as he did, Dawkins said, the doors to the suite burst open with agents pointing machine guns at him.

鈥淎t this point, I thought they were just gonna (expletive) kill me,鈥� Dawkins said in the movie. 鈥淚 die because of basketball.鈥�

Dawkins鈥� refusal to cooperate, Kondelis believes, is a big reason why the FBI never charged bigger names. Kondelis said Dawkins was not paid to participate in the film, but 鈥渄id receive something for providing archival materials.鈥�

鈥淭hey wanted him to wear a wire right there in the room,鈥� Kondelis said. 鈥淎nd as he鈥檚 being arrested, Sean Miller calls him. So they鈥檙e saying, 鈥楬ey, wear a wire. We want you to call these people.鈥� They were going to try to get Christian to bait them into more incriminating things to say on the phone.鈥�

That was only one of the potential issues the movie raises with the investigation.

Kondelis said it鈥檚 possible that the FBI wound down its efforts after an undercover agent was accused of spending FBI money on gambling and other personal uses, according to a Wall Street Journal report, and that the FBI may have been pushing the lines too close to entrapment. An undercover agent repeatedly pushed Dawkins to pay coaches, something Dawkins said he resisted doing.

鈥淚 think that鈥檚 definitely plausible,鈥� Kondelis said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know for sure. Again, the point is when all these people were arrested, (the FBI) went in front of the cameras and said, 鈥榃e got it, we got it, and there鈥檚 more coming and we know exactly what鈥檚 happening.鈥欌€�

Kondelis noted that, until the investigation began, breaking NCAA rules was not considered a federal crime 鈥� 鈥渟o that鈥檚 a real stretch on their part to begin with,鈥� he said 鈥� while noting that investigators looked into Adidas when Nike 鈥渁dmits to kind of openly doing鈥� the same things. (A Nike attorney said during Michael Avenatti鈥檚 trial in February that 鈥渨e never took the position that there were no payments to players.鈥�)

The FBI declined to be interviewed for 鈥淭he Scheme.鈥�

鈥淚t just doesn鈥檛 make sense,鈥� Kondelis said. 鈥淎nd nobody knows the real answer other than the FBI and the Southern District themselves. But I think you cannot deny that they clearly intended to bring down huge-name coaches. They got a hell of a lot of evidence. They got them on wiretaps. I haven鈥檛 heard all of them and I don鈥檛 even know the total number that were recorded, but there鈥檚 a hell of a lot more than what I heard.

鈥淎nd they stopped. And not only did they stop, but then they started to protect them and would not even allow them to step foot in court.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 pretty shocking. That鈥檚 pretty shocking.鈥�