Rick Pitino's Role In Louisville Scandal Still Unfolding

The affirmations have arrived. The evidence is mounting. And through it all, Rick Pitino is still the man in charge of Louisville basketball.

Why you may ask? A little term called plausible deniability.

But honestly, do we really believe Pitino didn’t have any knowledge of the shenanigans of former assistant Andre McGee, who is alleged to have set up multiple illicit rendezvous for high-profile recruits right on campus?

It’s been a tried and true strategy of scandalized coaches, ranging from Jim Calhoun to Jim Boeheim to Roy Williams to Larry Brown. Always deny all and demand proof. Pitino has followed through in grand fashion.

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Is it possible Rick Pitino was completely snowed by a coach he trusted to bring in the best recruits year-after-year? Sure. But it’s even more unlikely considering the amount of control most coaches have over their programs.

As a matter of habit, high-level college basketball coaches are masters of control. They oversee and are aware of everything that happens on a day-to-day basis, not only on the court, but off it as well. If Pitino didn’t know what was going on behind the scenes with McGee and others who have corroborated Katina Powell’s story, it shows a stunning lack of control for a coach so successful.

The more likely scenario is that Rick Pitino simply overlooked the issue. There’s no doubt Pitino and McGee communicated frequently regarding recruit visits and strategies for luring them into the Cardinals’ family. All coaches do; it’s simply part of the never-ending cycle of college basketball.

To suggest in such meetings McGee openly stated his intention to essentially buy players with intimate favors strains credulity.

Rather, it seems Pitino simply left McGee up to his own devices with a tacit “do what you have to do” approach to recruiting. In the end, it’s plainly obvious McGee took things too far.

The real question is how Rick Pitino fits into all of it. He’s already demanded McGee fess up regarding what really went on. He’s categorically dismissed notions that he should resign as the leader of the program. He’s claimed he had no knowledge of any of it. No inkling. No eavesdropped comments. Not even a whisper.

Of course, Pitino hasn’t always been the most forthcoming of souls when it comes to behind-the-scenes activity. His own marital infidelity at a Louisville restaurant back in 2003 resulted in lawsuits and sensational headlines. Eventually, Rick Pitino was found to be the victim of an extortion attempt by Karen Cunagin Sypher, the other participant in their romantic tryst.

Louisville, of course, stood by their coach in that case. More than a decade later, Pitino and Cardinals’ Athletic Director Tom Jurich are wading through another embarrassing scandal while attempting to look forward towards the 2015-16 season.

In a clear attempt to shift the narrative, Pitino will make himself unavailable for the ACC’s forthcoming media day in Charlotte. Try as he might, this story won’t just disappear however. There’s simply too much smoke to believe there isn’t some kind of smoldering fire beneath it all.

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Yet like all scandals, this one essentially boils down to a he-said, she-said scenario. Trying to digest it all can be exhausting.

So far the most credible individual has been Powell, the for-rent escort who allegedly provided McGee’s scheduled benefits.

After all, her story has been confirmed by five players or recruits in an ESPN Outside The Lines report. The rest of it remains a muddled mess of accusations and innuendo that figures to carry on in coming weeks.

What possibly dark revelations lurk behind the scenes remains a mystery. There’s also a good chance the truth of it all will never be fully known. In the meantime, perhaps the best way to sum it all up is one with one simple phrase: “Denial isn’t just a river running through Egypt”.

Next: Rick Pitino's Denials Are Far More Egregious Than Roy Williams

Rick Pitino’s Role In Louisville Sex Scandal Still Unfolding

By Matt Johnson | Oct 24, 2015

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