The University of Kansas received two federal subpoenas to produce materials and have school officials testify in front of a New York grand jury, which is investigating bribes and other corruption in college basketball, according to documents released by the university on Tuesday.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York sent federal subpoenas to Kansas officials in January and March, according to the records. The subpoenas requested materials related to the recruitment and enrollment of two Jayhawks players, whose names were redacted in the subpoenas released by the school.
Unnamed Kansas officials were ordered to testify in front of the federal grand jury in New York on Jan. 22 and March 23.
"These documents do not suggest any wrongdoing by the university," Kansas spokesman Andy Hyland said in an email to ESPN. "We are cooperating fully with investigators in this matter. Because this is an active investigation, it is not appropriate for us to comment further at this time."
ESPN had previously requested copies of any federal subpoenas related to the college basketball scandal from Kansas officials in March and April. The school acknowledged having such records but declined to release them because it was cooperating with the federal inquiry.
Among other documents, the January indictment sent to Kansas requested all communications between any member of the Kansas athletics department, including the basketball coaching staff, and Adidas executives James Gatto, Christopher Rivers, Merl Code and Thomas "T.J." Gassnola.
A superseding indictment filed against Gatto in April alleged that he conspired with another unidentified Adidas consultant to provide at least $90,000 to the mother of a former Kansas player between October 2016 and November 2017, and at least $20,000 to the legal guardian of a second player who committed to the Jayhawks in August 2017.
The superseding indictment alleges the payments were made to ensure the players signed with Kansas and then inked endorsement deals with Adidas once they turned pro. The indictment says the payments were concealed from the university and NCAA.
Sources told ESPN in April that the first Kansas player identified in the superseding indictment is former five-star recruit Billy Preston, who announced his commitment on Nov. 18, 2016. Preston did not play in a game for the Jayhawks this past season and turned pro because of eligibility concerns. He was not selected in June's NBA draft and signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The indictment alleges Gatto and others concealed payments to Preston's mother by transferring money to an AAU team controlled by the unidentified Adidas consultant. Among the noted payments, prosecutors say the consultant delivered $30,000 to the player's mother at a hotel room in New York on Oct. 31, 2016, and another $20,000 in cash at a hotel room in Las Vegas on Jan. 19, 2017; the consultant also wired $15,000 to the player's mother on June 14, 2017.
The only Kansas player who committed in August 2017 (on Aug. 30), is Silvio De Sousa, who is from Angola, attended IMG Academy and joined the Jayhawks in late December. De Sousa averaged 8.8 minutes in 20 games, and he scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in 10 minutes in the national semifinal loss to Villanova.
A June subpoena sent to the University of Maryland also sought records tied to De Sousa's "recruitment, eligibility and/or amateur status," according to records released by Maryland officials earlier this month.
Gassnola, a former Adidas consultant and youth basketball director from Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in April to one felony count of wire fraud conspiracy. He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in the government's investigation. According to an indictment, Gassnola is accused of working with Adidas officials to bribe high school players -- including current or former players at Kansas, Louisville and NC State -- to sign with Adidas-sponsored universities and then sign endorsement deals with the shoe company upon turning pro.
According to court records, Gassnola, a former director of the Adidas-sponsored New England Playaz, was indicted on March 30 and surrendered to authorities on April 11. He was released on $50,000 bond.
ESPN's Paula Lavigne contributed to this report.