There’s a distinct image associated with terms such as “investment fraud” and “Ponzi scheme.”

When we hear the terms, we think of corrupt backroom deals and greedy Wall Street investors.

We think of people who make their living by cheating others out of theirs.

We imagine briefcases filled with millions of dollars and people such as Bernie Madoff testifying in front of federal court.

We don’t usually think of Georgia football.

Not until Jim Donnan.

Donnan, the former head coach of the Bulldogs from 1996 to 2000, was accused in July of making millions of dollars off a Ponzi scheme stemming from GLC Limited, a furniture resale and liquidation company.

The allegations came forward as both GLC Limited and Donnan himself were forced to declare bankruptcy over the summer.

According to federal court documents, Donnan and his wife solicited $70 million worth of investments from more than 50 individuals, including Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville and Texas State’s Dennis Franchione.

Reportedly, Donnan and his wife made a 15 to 20 percent commission on each investment they solicited, meaning they amassed nearly $14.5 million of profits.

Even more startling, some of the people Donnan apparently tricked into the scheme hit very close to home.

Just days ago, former Bulldog and NFL veteran Kendrell Bell accused Donnan of swindling him out of $2 million by getting him to invest in the scheme.

Bell was one of Donnan’s players, meaning if the allegations are true, Donnan effectively deceived one of the men he was paid to coach and be a role model for.

The allegations against Donnan are shocking, to say the least.

As a coach, he avoided scandal and compiled an impressive résumé. He went 104-40-1 with a 4-0 bowl record as head coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd and then the Bulldogs.

After leaving Georgia, he worked as a college football analyst for ESPN and an occasional motivational speaker.

He’ll have some intriguing things to speak about now, to be certain.

Donnan adamantly denies that he knowingly participated in the scheme, and the case doesn’t look to be decided for some time.

Still, the idea of the Ponzi scheme reminds us that it’s not only mega-rich Wall Street types that can engage in fraud and deceit.

As University students, it’s easy to dismiss investment scams as some kind of distant, far-fetched crime.

But they can happen anywhere and everywhere, and be performed by anyone.