I’ve now read what I think is the complete public record between the NCAA and UofL on the whole #hookersindorms saga: the 10/17/16 twenty page initial Notice of Allegations; UofL’s 1/17/17 ninety-two page response; the 3/17/17 one hundred eighteen page reply of the NCAA; and then the 35 page decision handed down on June 15. I need a shower. A handful of things I didn’t know:
1. Louisville’s January ’17 document fully addresses which student athletes were not eligible. There is no mystery here. Pages III-3 and III-4 have tables which clearly identify ineligible players by year. The names, of course, are redacted, so I can’t say who they are. But there is no room on this for Louisville to try to get cute and come up with a list of names that would somehow protect the ’12 Final Four and ’13 Title. They have already identified them by name. Three players in ’11-’12; four in ’12-’13; five in ’13-’14; and four in ’14-’15. And there is another chart at the bottom of all of that indicating the number of regular season and NCAA tournament wins to be vacated by year: 26/4 in ’11-’12; 29/6 in ’12-’13; 29/2 in ’13-’14; and 24/3 in ‘14’15. That’s where people are getting the 108 regular season wins and 15 tournament wins. Again, this information came from Louisville to the NCAA – in response to the Notice of Allegations request to “tell us if you think Bylaw 19.9.7(g) applies here” (that’s the bylaw regarding vacating of wins and records. In short, Louisville has already provided this information, they can’t now try to come up with a different list of names. The title and final four and those 123 wins will be vacated, it’s just a matter of whether the appeal will change that.
2. Easy to say in hindsight, but Louisville misses the forest for the trees. First, it agrees that on 37 occasions sex acts/dances/etc. were given to 20 different individuals. At that point, should’ve just said, “tell us what you want”. But it fights instead. Fights about Katrina Powell’s credibility – you’ve already admitted the acts occurred, why do this? Fights about dollars and cents. The NCAA says a particular act cost $200, Louisville goes to some lengths to prove it was only worth $180. Just stupid. Reminds me of how a teenager protests when they get in trouble – arguing minutia and missing the obvious big picture.
3. This made me laugh:
E. Additional matters that related to Allegation No. 4.
On March 1, 2017, after the parties submitted their responses to the notice of allegations and the completion of all pre-hearing conferences, Scott Tompsett (Tompsett), Pitino's counsel, informed the Committee on Infractions that he intended to complete additional interviews with Keatts and Ralph Willard, former assistant men's basketball coach and former director of operations. During his March 15, 2017, interview with the parties, Willard reported that Tompsett provided him a copy of Pitino's response to the notice of allegations via email before and in preparation for his interview.
If you’ll lie about small things, you’ll lie about big things. Dumb.
4. The other thing that stood out was the transcript of the 4/13/16 interview with Brandon Williams. A lot of questions about bank accounts and the $200 dollars that went to Powell after McGee was already in Kansas City, and a lot of questions about text messages and voicemail between Williams and Mike Balado. Williams acknowledges at one point that “Coach Mike” is Balado, even though most people wouldn’t call him that. Anyway, it’s heavily redacted, but seems to me you can piece together enough to know that the NCAA, at least, is pretty sure who Coach Mike is and how the payments came to be made in McGee’s absence.
A lot there, naturally, but those things stood out to me as I read through it all……