While the NCAA and University of Louisville (UL) seek to get to the bottom of the escort scandal on the men's basketball team, Rick Pitino is confident his program will survive.
According to The Associated Press, UL's head men's basketball coach addressed the matter during his speech at a recent luncheon preceding the season. Pitino also said he could not understand why someone would go to such lengths to try to secure commitments from recruits when his success as a coach has been able to accomplish that for him.
In her new book "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," Katina Powell claims to have firsthand knowledge of parties hosted for Louisville recruits with escorts who were paid to have sex with players. In a previous interview with ESPN, Pitino said neither he nor anyone on his team or staff knew about these parties. Powell alleged that a basketball administrator and a former player named Andre McGee hired her escort service and organized the parties.
"When this came out, it hit us all like a bombshell," The Courier-Journal quoted Pitino telling luncheon attendees. "I just don't understand why. There's a lot of ifs here - if it did happen. And the ifs are not being answered, and they have to be answered by the NCAA.
"I'm not allowed to talk to any players about it. I'm not allowed to do any investigating on my own, which is fine by me. But I do know this: If there was any wrongdoing - that's a big 'if' - then people have to pay for their crimes. And that's an 'if.' If it happens, we will own up to it and do the best we can under adverse situations."
The NCAA is looking into the books allegations, as is the UL athletic department. But recently launched investigations by the UL Foundation and the campus police in coordination with the Louisville Metro Police and the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office brings the number of probes up to four, the AP noted.
"We won't go by hearsay," Pitino said. "I know what this program is all about and feel very confident in what the players are all about. They will do right things on the basketball court and will represent you exactly the way you want as a Louisville basketball player."
