Makes you wonder how they got caught. There is no way to prove where cash came from, unless it is marked. Possibly one of the athletes was bragging to the wrong person.
Sounds like the Alumni who paid them (off) might not have been smart enough to graduate in the first place.
Evidently, Big Red S&A was recently sold. Prior owners were the ones paying the kid. Speculation is that the new owners reviewed the books and found the "ghost" employee.