- Paul played 17 minutes over two seasons at Syracuse before transferring.
- The 25-year-old was arrested at a Miami airport on Monday afternoon.
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
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Brendan Paul, an alleged associate of recently arrested rapper and producer Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, was previously a college basketball player at Syracuse University.
Paul, 25, was detained by Miami-Dade police at Miami’s Opa-Locka Airport around 4:30 p.m. Monday. The same day, federal agents raided Diddy’s homes in Los Angeles and Miami as part of a sex trafficking investigation.
Soon, the Internet discovered Paul, who played two years on the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team.
Paul totaled 17 minutes in two seasons, coming off the bench against teams like Louisville, Virginia, Pittsburgh and North Carolina, among other teams.
He left Syracuse with just one basket scored: a three-pointer against Pittsburgh on February 26, 2020.
Brendan Paul, 25, has been arrested and accused of being ‘Diddy’s’ drug mule
But before that, Paul was a walk-on player on the Syracuse University basketball team.
While at Orange, Paul was named to the ACC Honor Roll for recording a grade point average of 3.0 or better throughout the academic year.
Seeking more playing time, he transferred to Fairmount State University in West Virginia.
Reflecting on why he chose the Orange in the first place, Paul told the Times West Virginian He was convinced by a close bond with former Syracuse player Buddy Boeheim and his father, Jim Boeheim.
“I was very, very good friends with Buddy (Boeheim)… he and I created a relationship, and our families created a relationship with each other,” Paul said.
‘And that’s what initially made me think about going to Syracuse instead of going to play for a MAC school or at that level.
“I ultimately decided to leave because of my relationship with the Boeheim family and my chances of getting a scholarship, which I would have had if I had returned for my junior year.”
He became friends with Buddy Boeheim in high school, when they both attended Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.
Paul performed much better at Fairmount State, but still didn’t dazzle, posting just 51 points, 23 rebounds, 19 assists and 11 steals in two seasons with the Division II team.
Paul only took one shot, this one against Pittsburgh, over the course of his short ‘Cuse career.
After playing just 17 minutes in two years, Paul left Syracuse and played at a D-II school in WV.
Paul, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is charged with felony counts of possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana. Paul is being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami on two $2,500 bonds.
The 25-year-old was referred to as Diddy’s ‘drug mule’ in a $30 million lawsuit Rodney ‘Lil Rod’ Jones filed against Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs.
The complaint, one of five filed against Cobs since November, alleged that he was involved in “acquiring and distributing drugs and weapons from Mr. Combs.”
It was not confirmed whether Paul’s arrest was related to the allegations in the lawsuit or the raids on Diddy’s properties.
Jones claimed in the lawsuit that he “personally witnessed” Paul “acquiring and distributing” drugs to Combs and his entourage, and transporting or intending to transport drugs in flight luggage.
He wrote that the flights were between Los Angeles, Miami, Virginia, the Caribbean and London three times in December 2022, April 2023 and November 2023.