The University of Michigan basketball scandal or Ed Martin scandal was a series of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules violations that resulted in a six-year investigation of the relationship between the University of Michigan, its men's basketball program, and basketball team booster Ed Martin. As a result of the investigation, the Wolverine men's basketball program was punished with sanctions. The violations principally involved payments booster Martin made to several players to launder money from an illegal gambling operation. It is one of the largest incidents involving payments to college athletes in American collegiate history. An initial investigation by the school was joined by the NCAA, Big Ten Conference, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue S