Brian Bowen sues Adidas, Jim Gatto, Christian Dawkins, et al

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Former UofL basketball player Brian Bowen II is suing Adidas America and several associates in relation to the basketball bribery scandal.

Bowen’s attorneys filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court on Monday, asking for damages and claiming the parties “poached the country’s top high school basketball recruits and chained them to the Adidas- brand through increased market share” and were “liabely for the harm they have wrought on the life and career” of Bowen II.

The suit names Adidas, James Gatto, Merl Code, Christian Dawkins, Munish Sood, Thomas Gassnola and Christopher Rivers.

Gatto, Code and Dawkins were found guilty in federal court in relation to this scheme, which also included an alleged payment of $100,000 to Bowen’s father to have his son play for UofL.

The lawsuit also claims Adidas preyed on families who are "unsophisticated and come from poor or modest backgrounds. It goes on to say, “Through exploitation of their social inequity and lack of representation, they became pawns of Defendants and unwittingly put their children’s education and promising athletic careers in jeopardy.”

Bowen never played a game at Louisville.