Alleged Point-Shaver Sues Fresno Paper

Attorneys for Fresno State point guard Dominick Young filed a libel suit Monday against The Fresno Bee over reports that the basketball player is the focus of a point-shaving investigation.

The Fresno Superior Court suit charges that Bee articles falsely accuse Young of criminal activity and that Young “has consorted with illegal bookies, gamblers, criminals and other scoundrels.”

The lawsuit, which seeks $11.2 million in general and punitive damages, said Young has never shaved points nor conspired with anyone else to do so.

Attorney Nicholas Wagner said the suit was filed after McClatchy Newspapers, which owns The Fresno Bee, refused to retract its allegations on grounds it has reason to believe they are true.

The Bee has reported that federal and university investigations of point-shaving rumors have focused on guards Young and Chris Herren. Both have denied shaving points, an illegal practice in which a player tries to keep the score of a game below the point spread to favor certain gamblers.