CHICAGO – The truth about allegations of a sex scandal that has rocked the University of Louisville and reverberated around the country will come out eventually, Gophers men's basketball coach Richard Pitino said repeatedly Thursday.
Just what that truth is, well, Pitino isn't sure.
At Big Ten Media Day, Pitino addressed for the first time the accusations detailed in a recently released book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," with first-hand accounts from Katrina Powell.
The book claims that former Cardinals basketball operations director Andre McGee paid Powell and other escorts thousands of dollars and gave them game tickets in exchange for dancing for and having sex with players, recruits and parents of recruits from 2010 to '14.
Pitino, the son of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, was the Cardinals associate head coach in 2011-12.
"When you hear things like that it just doesn't make a whole lot of sense," he said. "… I don't think any staff in the country would know about that and turn a blind eye. To me, it just, it never happened.
"The truth will come out eventually. Everyone is kind of guessing right now, they're all allegations."
The elder Pitino, a 41-year coaching veteran with two national championships and seven Final Fours who has been at Louisville since 2001, has also publicly said he had no knowledge of the incidents alleged. Louisville and the NCAA are investigation the claims. Richard Pitino said no one has reached out to him yet.
