LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The NCAA death penalty, the much-discussed but 30-years-dormant nuclear option of college sports, is about to make a comeback.
They were heroes here, for many years. And now they have been party to multiple scandals and a stain so deep on the basketball program that it may never fully go away. SMU football knows the feeling.
Louisville already was ordered by the NCAA in the spring to vacate its 2013 national title because of stripper parties for recruits and players funded by a former program staffer. That was embarrassment enough. Now there is this, very strong evidence that the school is involved in high-dollar buying of players.
The United States Attorney’s Office’s announcement Tuesday could spell the end of Rick Pitino … and Louisville basketball. (AP)
Then Pitino followed it up with a national title at Louisville. He was the only coach to win championships at two different schools, cementing his status as an all-time great. And now it almost certainly will end in a fall of Shakespearian dimension.
It will end with Louisville’s shame.
Jurich, the man who stood by his basketball coach through glory and tawdriness, will be part of the shame. He elevated the football program, but showed enough desperation to bring back the tainted Bobby Petrino. He got Louisville into the Atlantic Coast Conference, a destination beyond the school’s wildest dreams, but now the league must be regretting the baggage it brought.
Pitino issued a statement Tuesday evening through his lawyer, Steve Pence, that said: “These allegations come as a complete shock to me. If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorneys 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.”
Pitino and Jurich both need to go. And the basketballs need to be put away for a year or more.
Shut the thing down.
There’s no other hometown college basketball team in the city of Louisville, arguably the most passionate metro area in America when it comes to that sport. It could happen. To devastating financial and civic effect.
They were heroes here, for many years. And now they have been party to multiple scandals and a stain so deep on the basketball program that it may never fully go away. SMU football knows the feeling.
Louisville already was ordered by the NCAA in the spring to vacate its 2013 national title because of stripper parties for recruits and players funded by a former program staffer. That was embarrassment enough. Now there is this, very strong evidence that the school is involved in high-dollar buying of players.
The United States Attorney’s Office’s announcement Tuesday could spell the end of Rick Pitino … and Louisville basketball. (AP)
Then Pitino followed it up with a national title at Louisville. He was the only coach to win championships at two different schools, cementing his status as an all-time great. And now it almost certainly will end in a fall of Shakespearian dimension.
It will end with Louisville’s shame.
Jurich, the man who stood by his basketball coach through glory and tawdriness, will be part of the shame. He elevated the football program, but showed enough desperation to bring back the tainted Bobby Petrino. He got Louisville into the Atlantic Coast Conference, a destination beyond the school’s wildest dreams, but now the league must be regretting the baggage it brought.
Pitino issued a statement Tuesday evening through his lawyer, Steve Pence, that said: “These allegations come as a complete shock to me. If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorneys 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.”
Pitino and Jurich both need to go. And the basketballs need to be put away for a year or more.
Shut the thing down.
There’s no other hometown college basketball team in the city of Louisville, arguably the most passionate metro area in America when it comes to that sport. It could happen. To devastating financial and civic effect.
