On Tuesday evening, ten hours after a criminal investigation into corruption in college basketball yielded a thinly-veiled reference to a $100,000 payment that was brokered by Louisville coaches from Adidas to current Louisville freshman Brian Bowen, head coach Rick Pitino finally released a statement commenting on the latest scandal to rock his program.
“These allegations come as a complete shock to me,” the statement, released by Pitino’s attorney, read. “If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
Cue the eyerolling.
After the scandal involving Karen Sypher in 2010 and the drama with the NCAA stemming from an investigation into the hookers that a former assistant coach provided Louisville players in 2015, it’s safe to say that this will likely end up being Rick Pitino’s last scandal.