Rick Pitino may have been a direct player in the pay-for-play scandal that brought a recruit to the University of Louisville.
According to sources cited by CBS, ABC (via ESPN) and the Wall Street Journal, Pitino is the "Coach-2" listed in the FBI investigation into the scandal. According to criminal complaints filed this week, this coach played directly into the recruitment of Brian Bowen to Louisville as he allegedly asked an AAU coach to funnel money to Bowen so he would play at the university.
Court records also indicate that "Coach-2" spoke with Adidas executive Jim Gatto multiple times in the days before Bowen committed to Louisville.
Asked Thursday about reports that Pitino is "Coach-2," attorney Steve Pence told WDRB only that there has been a "rush to judgment" over the last few days and "we are going to let the matter take its legal course."
The allegation stems from a closed-door meeting between Christian Dawkins, a former agent of ASM Sports; Jonathan Brad Augustine, a director of a Florida-based AAU program, and an undercover FBI agent. In the meeting recorded by FBI cameras the three men are seen discussing how to pay Bowen $100,000 for his commitment to the Cardinals.
Adidas was allegedly having trouble getting the money to Bowen so they were discussing funneling the payment through Augustine's AAU program.
Augustine then allegedly went on to say, "No one swings a bigger d— than [Coach-2] at [Adidas]" and added "all [Coach-2] has to do is pick up the phone and call somebody [and say], 'These are my guys; they're taking care of us.'"
Pitino has vehemently denied any knowledge of wrongdoing.
"These allegations come as a complete shock to me," he said in a statement Tuesday. "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."
Pitino was put on unpaid leave Wednesday, with his attorney acknowledging the coach was "effectively fired" by the university. However, the school must give 10 days' notice before officially firing him due to the terms of his contract.
