That alone could be enough to give the NCAA all the power to crush Louisville’s basketball program.
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Powell, 42, has written a book detailing the allegations, entitled “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen”.
All told, five former players and recruits told ESPN that they were present at campus parties where strippers danced and had sex with players, recruits and their guardians. “It was insane. It was like I was in a strip club”, said a former recruit who ended up playing elsewhere. Powell said McGee planned the parties and then paid her $10,000 for providing dancers during the time period. Powell also told ESPN that the dancers were paid extra for “side deals” in which they had sex with recruits and players.
Lindsay Powell, 24, Katina’s daughter, told Outside the Lines she danced at multiple parties and was paid $100 to have sex with former Louisville point guard Russ Smith, part of the Cardinals’ 2013 NCAA championship team and now a player with the Memphis Grizzlies.
“He asked me if I had any girls willing to do a show”, said Powell, in reference to McGee, who at the time was living in the dorm with the Louisville players.
“There’s only one person who can speak on this matter, and that’s Andre McGee”, Pitino added, per Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports.
The self-proclaimed madam whose tell-all memoir has rocked the UofL athletic department told ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” that she thinks Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino knew about the alleged prostitution scandal at Minardi Hall. He’s been placed on indefinite leave there. “She has hundreds of text exchanges with him to set up her services as well as pictures of her girls with players and recruits”.
Later on Tuesday, Pitino told ESPN for a separate story that McGee needs to address the allegation. He also spoke with several video and support staffers as well as former Louisville forward Kyle Kuric, who was contacted about the book.
One player told the network’s Outside the Lines program that McGee “would give us the money, just the recruits”.
“Montrezl was there, and I don’t know, I guess he felt left out”.
Mickey, who eventually chose to attend LSU, was one of three recruits who either could not be reached or declined to comment to ESPN.
“I said, ‘Does Pitino know about this?’ And he said, ‘He’s Rick. The truth has got to come out, and not just to the NCAA”.
“I said, ‘Does Pitino know about this (the parties)?’ And he said, ‘He’s Rick”.
McGee has since left Louisville and is now an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City but he is on administrative leave while this is under investigation. “It was nothing that I made them do; nothing that I begged them to do, like I said, they begged me”, Powell told the news station. “I’m right there with Coach [Rick Pitino], as shocked as he is”.
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“He has no plans to step down”, Jurich said through U of L spokesman Kenny Klein.
