What?????--Book alleges UofL used escort services

[preacherfan]

I'll be interested to find out who was footing the bill for these "ladies". I don't think McGee was exactly raking in the cash as the director of basketball operations. I thought I read where he was only making like $35k/yr?

I read recently about an employee who was filing expense reports with his company for strippers. He disguised the charges to make them look legit but it amounted to hundreds of thousands of dollars, as I recall.

I think it would be interesting to look at McGee's expense reports.

 

[Stenchymouse]

Ramsey is screwed!

Too much dirt on him and he doesn't want to piss anyone off!!

All of these people, Pitino, Jurich, Ramsey and others thought that this machine would just keep on running forever!

Now that there's a stick in the spokes, they're all treading lightly.

You could hear it in Pitino's original statement when he said the he'd "forgive" McGee before he supposedly even knew whether it was true or not.

Yesterday Pitino said that he'd love to catch a plane and speak with McGee face to face.

He wants to get to McGee so bad that he can't stand it to line up their stories and to ensure that McGee won't throw him under the bus.

Now Ramsey is trying to separate himself from the whole thing, all the while being careful not to piss off Jurich.

They're all tied to the anchor and it will be fascinating to watch this all unfold!

 

[.S&C.]

I agree that this is terrible leadership but, in all fairness, the story isn't over yet. I am not sure he could do a whole lot more, at this point, without risking legal ramifications. We have to remember that both Jurich and Pitino are universities employees and subject to employment laws, contracts, etc.

I think of Tarkanian who might have been one of the more crooked coaches in the country when he was at UNLV. The NCAA tried to get him suspended but he fought it in the courts and won. Whether we like it or not, there is due process for coaches and AD's.

Gotta disagree preach......

There's been more than enough for MOST morally ran jnstitutions to fire both Pitino and Jurich.

 

[.S&C.]

Ramsey is screwed!

Too much dirt on him and he doesn't want to piss anyone off!!

All of these people, Pitino, Jurich, Ramsey and others thought that this machine would just keep on running forever!

Now that there's a stick in the spokes, they're all treading lightly.

You could hear it in Pitino's original statement when he said the he'd "forgive" McGee before he supposedly even knew whether it was true or not.

Yesterday Pitino said that he'd love to catch a plane and speak with McGee face to face.

He wants to get to McGee so bad that he can't stand it to line up their stories and to ensure that McGee won't throw him under the bus.

Now Ramsey is trying to separate himself from the whole thing, all the while being careful not to piss off Jurich.

They're all tied to the anchor and it will be fascinating to watch this all unfold!

It used to be that eventually you got what's coming to you. After the current climate in America over the past 6 or 7 years, no one is hardly accountable anymore. Anything goes.

This is just more of the same. When we want to start actually holding people accountable for their actions, things will change again.

 

[Mikey Likes It]

I did find a number of factual inaccuracies in that report that completely discredit the piece. When the author uses words like "athletic powerhouse" its clear he hasn't done the proper research. The rest he got correct by accident.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

its been almost 24 hours since someone has testified against UL.... damnit investigator's , do your job and give us more fodder!

 

[.S&C.]

No way Donovan takes the Louisville job while he turned down UK twice. It's not going to happen.

 

[Stenchymouse]

It used to be that eventually you got what's coming to you. After the current climate in America over the past 6 or 7 years, no one is hardly accountable anymore. Anything goes.

This is just more of the same. When we want to start actually holding people accountable for their actions, things will change again.

I agree but these guys have been so brazen with their giant piggy bank and eventually people are going to decide they've had enough!!

Their nerve is mind boggling!!

Strippers and hookers are the LEAST of the corruption that's going on with this bunch!!

 

[Mikey Likes It]

Im still assuming Jurich wrote President Ramsey's statement. Maintaining a combover that powerful takes a lot of work. Who's got time to write statements.

 

[catmandew_rivals376752]

I, for one, hope that UL keeps the Crypt Keeper forever. They should give him a lifetime contract for however long he will stay. We have, and will continue to get, any recruit we want from UL. Can you imagine being a parent, and having the crypt keeper give you a recruiting pitch, and then have Cal walk in the room - there is no way I would ever let my child go to UL...and any parent morally corrupt enough that would prefer that their child attend UL over UK, I wouldn't want that kid on my team.

 

[kyboy1998_rivals34276]

I've always heard it ain't the size of the wand it's the magic in it.

During Terry Roziers questioning he said, "That's Bull***t".

 

[Orange Soda King]

When's the last time a thread on RR went over 70 pages? Over 100?

 

[jlbeam3]

bumpity bump, 73 here we come.

 

[Tannerdad]

Scathing.

 

[trueblujr]

Based on Ramsey's statement he mentioned UofL's mission to provide students a world class education. I didn't realize the standards for a world class education were so low.

 

[.S&C.]

Contributing.

 

[EvilMD]

thinking of a few things that have come from interviews with Pitino and the interview with Ramsey (sp?)
on the first day Pitino said that they told him "do not have contact with anyone concerning this case"
a letter from Ramsey praises Jurich and does not mention Pitino
today Pitino does an interview with Meiners and is very upset that his name was not mentioned in the letter
and he once again mentions that he is not allowed to question anyone
they have taken him completely out of the loop (basically told him to stand in the corner)

is this telling us that it is the beginning of the end for Pitino?

Yep, it's identical to what happened to Sutton and how he reacted. Oscar Combs said as much on twitter.

 

[sambowieshin_rivals]

How the rest of the country sees Louisville's athletic department.....

 

[trueblujr]

Why would Billy D. even consider the job at this point. He hasn't even coached a full season in the NBA yet. If Rick had been canned after the Sypher scandal then BD might have been a realistic option. The BD ship has sailed for at least 2-3 years before he fails and decides to jimp back into the college ranks.

 

[RipThru]

Donnie Tyndall will get another 5 year show cause.

 

[wcc31]

Yet another scandal at Louisville! Nobody should be surprised. And nobody should be surprised with what happened today.

What exactly happened today? In my mind, it was the same "business as usual" mentality that has permeated U of L athletics for most of the last decade. With the news that at least two young men verified at least some of what the school has been accused of, predictably, U of L leadership reacted accordingly. And when I say accordingly, I mean predictably.

Louisville President James Ramsey found the time to publicly endorse his athletics director. I find that absolutely stunning. When you look at the culture Tom Jurich has created with his "win at any cost" mentality, how could any reasonable person not hold him responsible for the happenings within HIS athletics department?

I think the "Jurich culture" is at least partly to blame for this disaster. How many kids has U of L taken as transfers that few others (or no others) would touch? How was Rick Pitino not suspended for, say, one year due to his disgusting personal conduct reference the Sypher scandal? I still have no idea how Tom Jurich was able to bring back Bobby Petrino. This is a guy that couldn't have treated U of L worse prior to leaving the first time. I guess his gutless exit from Atlanta and abhorrent behavior in Fayetteville were also irrelevant to Jurich. I'm not saying Petrino didn't deserve to be considered for big time jobs (because he's a very good football coach), but U of L?

And so today, President Ramsey gives Jurich a pat on the back. Rick Pitino says he isn't going anywhere. THIS is the culture I'm talking about. At a minimum, IMO anyway, Rick Pitino should be suspended until U of L has a reason to "un-suspend' him. His claims that he knew nothing are essentially irrelevant. It's clear now that things happened under his watch. This man has already proven that he's void of integrity and character. This makes two massive scandals in a 5-6 year window. How is he still being allowed to influence young people?

Then there's Tom Jurich. I have little doubt that he knew nothing of hookers and strippers, but this is the culture HE created. HE allowed Willie Williams to transfer in. HE allowed Devonte Fields to transfer in. HE kept Rick Pitino. HE brought back Petrino. And I won't even mention the fleece job reference the Yum Center. When you "roll the dice" on these things, you're supposed to pay the price if things go wrong. Well, things have gone horribly wrong.

IMO, Tom Jurich should be fired. If the university keeps him, they're just endorsing the culture that has led to embarrassment after embarrassment for the city, state, and university.

GBB!!!

Pretty much. Hell- just look at the constant drama in the basketball program. How many transfers, guys booted from the team, recruit decommits, etc. has Pitino had? It's perpetual turmoil and tomfoolery. It's actually pretty amazing Pitino has had as much success as he's had the last 5 years.

 

[Mikey Likes It]

not sure where the other thread went regarding Pitino on Terry Meiner's show; but one that was said he made is that he thought it was cowardly to resign in the midst of all this. It occurred to me last night that he wasn't telling the fans that; he was telling the UofL administration that he wasn't going to step down and did it publically so they can't force him to resign. The last statement Brian lists here kind of confirms my theory - he's saying they'll have to fire him.

Could be wrong. While I do admittedly enjoy this because of certain fans and their coach - there are those I feel badly for. If you will give me some time I might even come up with names.

Believe his contract goes through 2025! You'd have to fire me too with that much money up for grabs.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

Can some one check the Fluoride levels in the water in Louisville please? Enough of that over time can kill brain cells and I really think that could explain the sheer ignorance and insanity on behalf of that fan base.

I mean many of them actually believe Cal or a UK booster framed them.

 

[blubo]

crp is washed up. he's done after this. bad thing for him is now he won't be able to get a good tv gig either. he's gonna have to roll down to miami and hang out with old retired women and drink mohitos.

retired milfs and mohitos----that's not a bad gig either.

 

[EvilMD]

What's going on with the Louisville fan base is human nature, not Louisville nature. We said the same things with Sutton and Indiana fans did the same with Knight. People on the outside see the situation and think "it's obvious, you need to make a change". People on the inside are like "but this is our coach and he didn't send the envelope/punch the player/pay the prostitutes.

 

[DSmith21]

Three takeaways from the Pitino interview with Meiners:

1.) Rick is very unhappy that Ramsey endorsed Jurich but not him.
2.) Rick will not quit but will pack his bags if Jurich or Ramsey ask. Translation: Quit and there is no contract buyout. Rick will leave only if he gets some of the millions (left on his contract) to do so.
3.) Rick talked to Andre McGee who admitted to some things that Pitino is upset about but they were not things in the book. Rick now has to share that conversation with the NCAA or else.

 

[Rajon did it]

"If a lie is repeated often enough all the dumb jackasses in the world not only get to believe it, they even swear by it."
-- Billy Boy Franklin

 

[blubo]

Chane?

CHANE!!!

CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

well done.

 

[Tampa_cat54_rivals112262]

Why would Billy D. even consider the job at this point. He hasn't even coached a full season in the NBA yet. If Rick had been canned after the Sypher scandal then BD might have been a realistic option. The BD ship has sailed for at least 2-3 years before he fails and decides to jimp back into the college ranks.

He said he WOULD HAVE guessed Billy Donovan, before he left for OKC, but "now who knows".

 

[anon1763419335]

i get the uproar and think its justified. but all this is big business. i'm talking 10s to 100s of millions of dollars. education, amateur athletics, noble pursuits of higher learning....nice talking points....but its the bottom line that matters. these are no longer universities, they are corporations. and each is lead to run its corporation by whatever means they see fit. jurich and pitino will survive this....they bring in so much money. do you think the oil company cares about the million dollar fine on a tanker of oil worth a billion? ul will likely take the short term hit, roll on. short of something so bad the FBI has to come in....stuff like this just doesnt matter anymore.

 

[Barleycorn]

Mojito's are for normal people, Rick drinks ho-mitos.

 

[JimBR_rivals319758]

If he leaves, I could see them taking a long look at Kenny Payne.

 

[Blueblood410]

It's obvious a complete cleaning of the house and culture change needs to take place at UofL, but does anyone over there have the balls to do it?

We'll see.

 

[hilow56]

Over the past several days I have been laughing just as hard as anyone. Mostly my satisfaction is coming from knowing UofL fans are wallowing in their own tears and double talk over the years..."we do things the right way".

I believe Meiner's came out firing yesterday and as I sat there listening to Rick talk the more I felt sorry for him. I really did. Here's a hall of fame coach that we adored that brought our program that we love back from sanctions itself. We were so proud again and ended up adoring the man that was our coach that we ended up hating him for awhile because he left our program. Admittedly, we all would have done the same thing if that type of money and opportunity presented itself.

Then we hated him again for shacking up with our arch rival. Another slap in the face. But, most of us got over that years ago because it made this rivalry even better.

However, I truly felt bad for the guy yesterday. If he knew it shame on him. If he didn't then he should of. But, Andre Magee completely back stabbed his friend/coach/mentor if he played rogue agent and did this on his own (with someone else's money). Again, I can't but feel for Rick right now. I believe Ramsey wants to completely pull the trigger and throw Rick under the bus. For the time being Jurich is holding the wolves at bay. There's only so much heat Tom is going to be able to withstand without putting his job in jeopardy (which it should be anyway).

Lastly, with all that said...here's a big middle finger for all those obnoxious UofL fans who are first to throw their successes of their program in our faces. LOL!

 

[kb22stang]

He won't be going anywhere and the NCAA will UNC this stuff right under the rug.

 

[LadyCaytIL]

The problem is Tom Jurich. He's ran a rogue program for years now. He didnt even suspend Pitino through the Sypher ordeal. Then allowed Hurt to remain with the football team knowing good and well the guy was a cheater. Next he covered up incident after incident....from Behanan to Ware, to Jones all the way to the Death of a cheerleader , then hiring back Petrino with all of his problems...... Oh also allowing Petrino to take in guys kicked off other teams for obvious problems. And lets not forget robbing tax payers millions in the criminal chicken bucket ordeal.

I don't think T.J. will be the AD in a year from now. Either he'll bolt to a new team or get canned for lack of institutional control

 

[Xception]

It's pervasive corruption , not just the act of a rogue and it's not that everybody knew about it but that they don't really have a problem with it . Don't believe me then look no further than Ramsey's endorsement and everything else that the op posted . Same thing at UNC , there needs to be a wholesale cleansing to stop the rogue schools .

 

[Cat Ballou]

The most incriminating thing I've seen lately is the now deleted Chris Jones tweet dissing people who "sing like birds" when the pressure is on.

If the NCAA determines that anyone has lied to them, or suspects any kind of cover-up is going on, that is when the **** will hit the fan.

 

[hilow56]

We have been bestowed the greatest gift this past week by the "University of ILL Repute". Even though it may be a little late as Halloween parties are probably kicking off this weekend is anyone going to take advantage of the suffering and demise that is UofL athletics?

If so, what is your go to costume idea this year? Let's hear them!

 

[uk78_rivals88018]

Of course money is a major factor. If this scandal involved the Volley Ball team an entire coaching staff and department would have been immediately dismissed with a self-imposed ban. However, in these type of scandals almost every program circles the wagons, lets the story play out, and then tries to find a "fall guy" so the program itself that is cared about gets minimal damage. UNC, I predict, will pin most on the women's program, maybe the football program to a lesser degree, and will do everything possible to protect the men's basketball program. UL will make that former assistant the fall guy, most within the program will say they knew nothing, and then they will try and discredit everyone, say it was a limited occurrence, the women should be prosecuted with a focus there instead, and eventually will have a possible post season ban and a reduction of 2 scholarships...maybe.

I did listen to Pitino's interview on the radio and as much as I dislike him, it did sound honest. But, how could he not know and how could this have been kept as a secret for so long? The keeping of the "secret" should be where the NCAA SHOULD come down on the program ,but that will not be an issue. One assistant did everything and no one else knew???????