Prosecutors claim UofL paid for an additional recruit

This morning at the college hoops trial, prosecutors revealed an interesting new allegation against the University of Louisville.

According to Dan Wetzel, while questioning UofL compliance director John Carns, prosecutors claimed that Brian Bowen’s family wasn’t the only recruit’s family to receive money from the Louisville coaching staff:

https://twitter.com/DanWetzel/status/1047891579061653504

Carns said he had no knowledge of those payments. Both Johnson and Fair were fired after the scandal broke last fall. Johnson now works as an assistant for LaSalle University and Fair coaches an AAU team. In May, Rick Pitino vouched for Johnson’s innocence to the Courier-Journal (as if that means anything). Johnson and Fair have also been accused of altering Bowen’s unofficial visit documents to cover up the presence of Christian Dawkins, one of the three men on trial for plotting to pay Bowen’s father $100,000 in exchange for his son’s commitment to Louisville.

Speaking of Bowen’s father, he could take the stand as early as this afternoon and has immunity from prosecution in exchange for his side of the story. Bowen’s family has claimed innocence until now, but after financial advisor Munish Sood’s testimony yesterday that he personally handed almost $20,000 in cash to Bowen Sr. on be half of Dawkins and Merl Code, things could get really interesting…

UPDATE: Pitino issued a statement to the Courier-Journal about Johnson paying Bowen because of course he did.

Pitino told the Courier Journal on Thursday he was “dumbfounded and devastated” by the allegation that Johnson made the $1,300 payment.

“He looked me square in the eye and said he did nothing wrong,” Pitino said. “I hope it’s not true.”

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