Latest Louisville scandal could mean it’s time to clean house

This time two years ago, Louisville was still celebrating a national championship in basketball and a Sugar Bowl victory. Now football is 2–4 and the basketball program is drowning in one of the worst scandals in the history of the NCAA. How did we get here?

It is difficult to overstate the black cloud hanging over the city and the University of Louisville. If you listen closely enough, you can hear the sound of season tickets being returned, and Louisville shirts being folded and put back into drawers. This fan base, which just 730 days ago was on top of the collegiate sports world, has now been forced to imagine its favorite players and coaches committing some of the most egregious violations of NCAA rules and possibly the law.

Weeks ago, when the news first broke about Katina Powell and her book, “Breaking Cardinal Rules”, it was easy for some Cardinal faithful to brush these allegations off for the most part. After all, consider that the source of these allegations was a self-admitted madame who prostituted her own daughters.

Plausible deniability was the theme of the hour. But as weeks have gone on, press conferences have been held, lawyers have been hired and the black cloud has grown. ESPN’s Outside the Lines released a report on Tuesday and there was no deniability left. Louisville, by way of Andre McGee, was involved with the association of prostitutes and strippers with recruits and players.

So now what?

The time has passed to excuse this as something that ‘is done everywhere’. There’s no longer credit in brushing her off as a ‘cheap person looking for her 15 minutes of fame’. And as painful as it is for Cardinal faithful to face, there is no longer a way to excuse Rick Pitino’s knowledge or lack of knowledge about this. It was on his watch.

Ignorance is not an excuse. Especially for this coach, and these allegations. This is Pitino’s fourth scandal since taking the Louisville job. From extracurriculars with Karen Sypher in a back room in Porcini’s, to Chane Behanan, to Chris Jones and now this. The latest scandal in Louisville is by far the most toxic to the program. Whether Pitino knew or didn’t isn’t the issue. It happened, he was here and even if this was his first scandal, it would not be excusable.

For those who would look to make the case that ‘it happens everywhere’, let’s remember what we’re talking about. This wasn’t a $100 handshake with a booster, or free bottle service at a local club, this was prostitution. This was a long tradition of women for hire, coming to University of Louisville dorms, and accepting money to strip and have sex with players and recruits. This would be an egregious violation of the law, even if none of the men had ever picked up a basketball.

Taking all of this into consideration, fans, pundits and sports figures on all side of this need to take pause and ensure that we are addressing the issue as it is, no more and no less. The University as a whole does not create an environment ‘dangerous to women’ as claimed by one Sports Illustrated reporter. That is overstatement on the other end of the spectrum. This is not something to be made into comical fodder by those rivals of Louisville. Remember that we’re talking about serious criminal offenses, possible exploitation of minors and more at least partial destruction of a program, its reputation, and the reputation of everyone associated with it. This also, is not a case of one person being caught when everyone has their hands in the cookie jar.

Somewhere between the complete damnation of the entire University as a sexist institution, and the excusing this as something everyone does, lies the truth. This is a serious offense. It is inexcusable. In the coming weeks and months we will see what comes of the NCAA and criminal investigations. We will see if Rick Pitino keeps his job. We will see if recruits and or players face penalties. We will see if Louisville basketball even has a roof over its head, or a banner in its rafters. That is nothing we can speak on now. What we can speak on now is this, Louisville seems to have made a series of grave mistakes.

And if this is all proven true through the investigations, it is time to clean house. If there’s a house left to clean.