The legacy of Rick Pitino continues to be eviscerated beyond recognition as a result of the FBI’s investigation into college hoops corruption.
By the time the entire investigation is done, it appears Pitino’s legacy will be a nothing more than one of a tragic downfall from the top of the mountain when he was in Lexington, bringing up UK from the depths of a program decimated by its own violations to being back at the top of college hoops.
In case you need a refresher, the ongoing FBI investigation originally determined that Pitino was Coach-2 from University-6 in their report. University-6 was the University of Louisville, and Coach-2 was someone there who at least knew of players being paid.
Now, more details on Coach-2 are being released, and it’s getting even worse for Pitino. According to NBC News reporter Tom Winter, Pitino not only knew of payments to players, but he helped organize them:
NBC NEWS: Indictments unsealed in NCAA fraud and bribery case allege that Rick Pitino ("coach-2") had knowledge of and directed payments to players. pic.twitter.com/npMZtRpRyH
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) November 8, 2017
People are asking if this is "new". What is new is that the indictment explicitly states that not only was Pitino aware of the alleged scheme but in fact was directly involved in it. https://t.co/Nc6fqLXvhp
— Tom Winter (@Tom_Winter) November 8, 2017
Coach-2 helped set up payments for Brian Bowen’s family, and Coach-2 was asked to call Jim Gatto, the adidas rep under investigation, for the money to do so.
This this is all true, it’s safe to say that Pitino is done as a college coach, his legacy will forever be tarnished.