University of Texas Coach imprisoned in Varsity Blues scandal says they were on a suicide watch

Former University of Texas tennis Coach Michael Center, who spent six months in the Prison in the ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ college Admissions scandal, said Thursday that he was on a suicide watch while locked up.

Center spoke to GMA Thursday about the scandal, in which they ended up pleading guilty for accepting over $ 100,000 in bribes. He was among several sports coaches at the Universities, including Yale and Georgetown, who federal prosecutors say were paid to designate students as athletes as part of a $ 25million scheme.

‘There were some Mistakes that I made, I own my Mistakes. I’m not saying I was perfect but I never imagined that I was committing a crime, that I would go to Prison, that I would carry a felony, ‘Center said.

California College Admissions Consultant William ‘Rick’ Singer pleaded guilty in March 2020 to charges that he helped parents facilitate cheating on college entrance exams and bribed coaches at Universities to falsely present their children as athletic recruits. He has not been Sentenced yet.

Center pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud in February 2020 related to $ 100,000 in bribes from Singer that prosecutors said they took to help the son of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Christopher Schaepe get into the school.

Schaepe himself was never charged with anything in connection to the case.

‘The Schaepe family acted lawfully, was not charged with any wrongdoing and was unaware of others’ unlawful conduct.’

Michael Center, former men’s tennis coach at the University of Texas at Austin

Center pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and honest services fraud related to $ 100,000 in bribes that prosecutors said they took from William ‘Rick’ Singer ‘(pictured) to help the son of Silicon Valley venture capitalist Christopher Schaepe

Prosecutors said the Center agreed to accept bribes from Singer in 2015 in exchange for designing Schaepe’s son as a tennis recruit, even though they had limited tennis experience.

Center – who said that he was at one point placed on a suicide watch because a guard told him he ‘didn’t want another Jeffrey Epstein’ – said that he was never made aware of such an arrangement between himself and a Recruit.

‘It’s a very extensive vetting process that goes through and if at any point in time the university thought it was inappropriate to sign a letter of intent, they had every right to ask me,’ he said. ‘But no one at any point in time, did anyone come to my office, text me, called me, notified me.’

The university said it found no other student-athlete was improperly admitted.

Singer Flew to Austin in June 2015 and gave the Center a bag with $ 60,000 in cash, according to prosecutors. They received another $ 40,000 was directed to the University of Texas tennis program as donations.

Lori Loughlin of Full House and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, (seen behind her outside John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on August 27) have pleaded not guilty

Felicity Huffman leaves federal court in Boston with her brother Moore Huffman Jr., background left, after she was Sentenced in the Nationwide college Admissions bribery scandal

The children of Loughlin and her husband Mossimo Giannulli allegedly got their places following bribes from their wealthy parents

He claims the only reason he took the money was out of the pressure to be able to help fund his program to build more tennis courts.

‘This started because I wanted tennis courts, Center said. ‘I wanted a facility, I wanted to be able to attract the Athletes and train the Athletes, and I wanted to have a successful team.’

‘I put a lot of pressure to raise a lot of money and there were a lot of people that were asking me and others to raise money and when that money came in, they were happy. No one complained, ‘he continued.

He said that despite everything he’s been through, he’s choosing to move forward and get on with his life.

‘If I let this beat me, I’m not being the person I want to be,’ Center said. ‘I’m not being the person I want to be my children. I need to show them that when you get knocked down, you get back up. ‘

Center told Sports Illustrated in January that his Prison sentence was no picnic, contracting COVID-19 in jail and having his transfer request to serve his sentence at home denied because a judge misread the application, believing him to be a college tennis player in his 20s .

However, out of claims of not wanting to uproot his wife and teenage sons from Texas, the Center has been unable to find work since leaving Prison.

After leaving the court following his sentencing, the Center ran away from Reporters assembled outside who asked him questions in Boston

Center claims he only did what he did because he felt pressure from the University of Texas to fundraise

At the time of sentencing, the Center collapsed into his chair and sobbed with his face in his hands after the judge declared they would spend time behind bars for actions that undermined the public’s faith in the college Admissions process.

‘I believe you are a good man, but this is one of those things that just can’t be overlooked,’ US District Judge Richard Stearns told him.

Center Cried as he apologized to his family and friends and pleaded with the judge not to send him to Prison.

‘I just want you to know how sorry and ashamed I am that I have been a part of this,’ he told the judge. He was released in October 2020.

In total, 20 people have agreed to plead guilty since prosecutors Unveiled the case on March 12, 2020, including ‘Desperate Housewives’ actress Felicity Huffman, who pleaded guilty in May 2020. She was Sentenced to two weeks and was released early in October 2019 .

Three other former coaches have agreed to plead guilty. On Tuesday, a former University of Southern California Assistant Women’s soccer Coach agreed to plead guilty for her part in the scheme.

Thirty-three parents were among those charged, including ‘Full House’ star Lori Loughlin, who pleaded not guilty to paying bribes to get her two daughters admitted to USC.

Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli paid $ 500,000 to get their daughters into USC as rowing recruits, despite the fact that neither girl competed in the sport.

Giannulli was sentenced to five months and was released in April 2021. Loughlin served two months and was released in December 2020.