FBI investigating possible extortion by former Rutgers assistant Eric Murdock

With the firing of Rutgers head coach, Mike Rice and his assistant, Jimmy Martelli, and AD Tim Pernetti leaving as well, you probably expected that to be the end of the drama connected to the Rutgers men’s basketball program. Nope, now the guy who leaked the videotapes to the press, Eric Murdock, is being investigated by the FBI.

According to a report in the New York Times, Murdock’s lawyer sent a letter to the university with a request for $950,000 two weeks after Rice was suspended in December for his behavior in several practices that were videotaped by Murdock. The university declined to pay the money so, Murdock leaked the videos. That sounds like blackmail, right? Perhaps extortion. Well apparently the FBI is inclined to believe it might be.

Murdock’s contract with the university wasn’t renewed and he’s filed a wrongful termination lawsuit. Rutgers has maintained that the decision not to bring the ex-NBA player back on staff had nothing to do with him blowing the whistle on Rice.

The university claims his contract was not renewed because “he left Rice’s basketball camp early and without permission, among other factors,” according to the report.

The investigation is reportedly in it’s early stages with no comment being made by Rutgers brass. Lots of moves seem to be made in this situation as an afterthought. Rutgers firing of Mike Rice, Rutgers turning the attorney letter over to the FBI – I mean being honest, if they received the letter in December and the case pops up AFTER the recordings were made public, sort of obvious to follow the trail. At the very least, we know that Rutgers reacts rather than initiates.