Rick Pitino, head coach of Louisville’s men’s basketball team, has been put on unpaid administrative leave, interim president Greg Postel announced at a press conference on Wednesday. Athletic director Tom Jurich has also been placed on administrative leave, but with pay, according to Postel.
Rick Pitino on Administrative Leave Amidst NCAA Allegations
This course of action comes after ten people, including four assistant coaches, had charges charge of fraud and corruption brought against them by federal prosecutors yesterday. A top Adidas executive is included in the ten men charged, as are five other men involved in NCAA basketball. The charges are brought after three years of investigation into the matter by the FBI.
Examples of the alleged actions include a matter involving Adidas paying a high school player $100,000 to make sure he signed with Louisville. It is believed that the unnamed player, who is listed as “Player 10” in the official documents, is Brian Bowen. Bowen is a five-star recruit who signed with the school on June 5.
This is not the first investigation into Louisville. One of the more recent began in 2015, after an investigation was launched by the NCAA for a sex-for-pay scandal surrounding former assistant coach, Andre McGee. Last year, Louisville banned themselves from participating in the NCAA tournament. This investigation is not yet completed.
Postal made clear in the press conference that they will be moving quickly to name an interim head coach and athletic director. He said final decisions on the future of Pitino and Jurich will be made by the trustees no later than October 18.
According to Pitino’s contract, he has to be given at least 10 days’ notice before any formal firing can take place.
Rick Pitino has served as head coach at Louisville since 2001. In 2013, he led the Cardinals to a national championship.
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