By Kyeland Jackson —
The NCAA denied U of L’s defense for men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino, accusing Pitino of not monitoring staffer Andre McGee.
NCAA investigators said Pitino tried to delegate away his responsibilities, leading to missed red flags.
“It is clear that neither Pitino nor his assistant coaches monitored McGee,” the 154-page document said.
“Pitino failed to demonstrate that he actively looked for red flags, asked pointed questions or even occasionally solicited honest feedback from McGee about activities occurring under his supervision. These are basic elements of a head coach’s obligation to monitor. If Pitino saw no red flags in connection with McGee’s interactions with then prospective and current student-athletes, it was because he was not looking for them.”
Though the document accused Pitino of lackluster monitoring, the enforcement staff did not admit Pitino should have known about the violations.
“We continue to regret that NCAA legislation was violated by a former U of L employee. His behavior was shameful and wrong. This behavior is the reason we self-imposed severe penalties on ourselves,” U of L’s statement said. “In this latest correspondence, the NCAA Enforcement Staff’s Response reiterates its previous position and, in fact, makes clear that the allegation does not state that Coach Pitino should have detected or known about the violations. We have faith in the NCAA process and look forward to demonstrating at the hearing that Coach Pitino properly monitored his staff.”
Allegations exploded after Katina Powell’s “Breaking Cardinal Rules” alleged former basketball staffer Andre McGee paid escorts to dance for and have sex with players and recruits. U of L acted with a self-imposed postseason ban to minimize NCAA reaction. An NCAA investigation revealed multiple notice of allegations, finding Powell’s claims were true. U of L accepted all NCAA notice of allegations except for allegations Pitino incorrectly monitored the program.
This story will be updated.
