What the national media is saying about the Louisville scandal

1. ESPN: Mark Schlabach Schlabach calls out both Louisville and NCAA on the handling of today's events. Schlabach says the NCAA infractions commitee "once again looked toothless" in their punishment of high-profile NCAA programs and coaches.

"Anyone expecting contrition from Pitino was mistaken. And his bosses are standing beside him, vowing to overturn the punishment on appeal. It was a brazen response given the sordid details of the scandal and the weakness of the punishment."

2. Yahoo: Pat Forde

Forde believes that some of the NCAA's ruling came from the fact that the infraction committee was appalled by the nature of the violations. Committee of Infractions chief hearing officer called the violations "repugnant".

“I don’t believe the Committee on Infractions has ever encountered a case like that.” With that as backdrop, she alluded to a requirement for McGee to “act with honor and dignity,” which is basically invoking a morals clause that probably cannot be found anywhere in the very thick NCAA rules manual.

3. USA TODAY Sports: Nicole Auerbach Auberbach believes that the NCAA's message to head coaches has been made clear today regarding wrongdoings under their watch. It doesn't matter if you did or did not know what was going, but that you should have known.

That’s what this whole process has been about, from their side: Protecting that title. It hasn’t been about how irresponsible a head coach must be to be actually unaware of strippers and prostitutes being called to entertain his players and his recruits – many of whom were minors – in an on-campus dormitory 12 times (plus twice off campus) over a four-year period.

4. CBS Sports: Reid Forgave Forgave calls this the biggest NCAA ruling since the penalties given to the SMU program in the 1980s. Forgave doubts this decision will ruin Louisville's basketball program like the ruling ruined SMU's football program.

They're going to take down a banner. By God, the NCAA is going to take down a banner. That's really the only conclusion that can be taken from Thursday's release of the NCAA report on the Louisville basketball program's strippers-and-sex scandal, right?

5. WDRB: Rick Bozich Bozich was happy that the Committee of Infractions found the situation "repugnant" as himself and many other did as well. Bozich says the "nonsense" that went on in Minardi Hall would have been repugnant in many other places as well.

This was paying for sex for players and prospects who were sometimes 17 years old (or younger) – and I can’t believe I had to write that sentence to make my point. All of those items are a violation of NCAA bylaws. Only the last one makes you cringe and wonder why there wasn’t more oversight of the good times going on at Minardi Hall.

6. ESPN: Seth Greenberg

"The only reason he's appealing...his legacy and his reputation." @SethOnHoops on Rick Pitino pic.twitter.com/RfjgEIOTMS

– Outside The Lines (@OTLonESPN) June 15, 2017