NCAA charges Louisville men's basketball program with four violations
Louisville received its notice of allegations from the NCAA on Thursday following the investigation of an alleged escort scandal involving the men’s basketball program. The program was charged with four Level I violations.
Basketball coach Rick Pitino was charged with failure to monitor a staff member in the men’s basketball program, though the university itself wasn't charged with any violations.
The investigation stemmed from allegations from Katina Powell that former director of basketball operations Andre McGee paid her and other escorts and gave them tickets in exchange for sex with players and recruits. McGee faces two NCAA charges, while former assistant Brandon Williams faces one.
It remains to be seen whether Pitino, who has denied any knowledge of any violations, or the program will receive any punishment from the NCAA. Last February, Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban for the men’s basketball team. That was followed by additional self-imposed sanctions on recruiting.
The university released a statement Thursday, per the Louisville Courier-Journal. Included in that statement:
"As parents and university leaders who care about every student who comes to the University of Louisville, we are heartbroken that inappropriate behavior took place here. It saddens us tremendously. We promised that if something else was done wrong, we would be open about it, acknowledge it, and correct it."
It continued:
"It is important to note what is not being alleged. The NOA does not contain an allegation that Coach Pitino had knowledge of what took place in the dormitory. The NCAA does not allege a ‘lack of institutional control’ at Louisville, a very severe allegation. The NCAA does not allege that there was a ‘failure to monitor’ against the institution, also a severe allegation. The NCAA does not allege that Coach Pitino failed to ‘promote an atmosphere of compliance’, a serious allegation. The NOA does contain a narrower allegation – which we will dispute - that Coach Pitino failed to demonstrate that he monitored Mr. McGee."
Louisville has 90 days to respond to respond to the notice of allegations.
#Louisville hit w 4 Level 1 violations (the most serious in NCAA scope) including a failure to monitor vs Pitino in its hoops/hooker scandal https://t.co/RZOSS6KKSe
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) October 20, 2016
