Chris Mack Suspended Six Games Without Pay by Louisville
You will not be seeing Chris Mack anytime soon. The Louisville head men’s basketball coach has been suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2021-22 season.
The University of Louisville is suspending Mack as a result of the Dino Gaudio extortion case. After an internal investigation, UofL found that while Mack was a victim of an extortion attempt, Mack failed to follow University guidelines, policies and procedures in handling the matter.
Mack will miss six non-conference games from Nov. 7-Nov. 28, including a trip to the Bahamas where the Cards will take on Mississippi State, and either Richmond or Maryland. He could return in time for Louisville to travel to Michigan State for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Mack will forfeit approximately $221,000 in salary.
“As I have said since the beginning of my tenure, we have high expectations for all of our staff members and coaches and we hold people accountable for their actions,” U of L athletic director Vince Tyra said. “While we have made great strides over the last four years in changing the culture in our Department of Athletics, we cannot afford to have any setbacks, no matter how big or small, in our pursuits. I am confident that Coach Mack now understands the impact of his actions. We all have confidence in him moving forward. I am grateful for the partnership and support of President Bendapudi in this matter.”
Mack also issued a statement:
“I regret that any of my unintentional actions or failures to follow University guidelines have brought unnecessary attention to our outstanding athletics programs and University. I understand that I could have handled matters differently and therefore I accept this suspension. While it will kill me to be away from our basketball family in November, I will do everything possible to set them up for success before and after my time away, and I am fully confident that our coaches, staff and student-athletes will rise to the occasion.”
As Mack pays the piper, Gaudio’s fate awaits. He’s expected to be sentenced in federal court this afternoon.
Chris Mack is entering his fourth season as the Cardinals’ head coach. He has not won an NCAA Tournament game since he left Xavier following the 2018 season.
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