The Louisville men’s basketball program and former head coaches Rick Pitino and Chris Mack will reportedly avoid major punishment when the NCAA announces its ruling on Thursday in the long-running investigation into the school’s ethics and recruiting violations, which date back more than five years.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, the program itself will receive a $5,000 fine, two years of probation, and a seven-day reduction in recruiting time. Pitino and Mack will not receive any discipline.
BREAKING: Louisville dodges major punishments in IARP case, @CBSSports has learned. No postseason ban, $5,000 fine, small reduction in recruiting days and two years of probation. Rick Pitino, Chris Mack avoid punishment entirely.
Decision will be made public later this AM.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) November 3, 2022
This ruling, which may not be appealed, finally brings the five-year saga of the Louisville bribery scandal to a close. The FBI announced in 2017 that Louisville was part of a federal bribery scandal that involved Adidas allegedly offering five-star recruit Brian Bowen and his family $100,000 to go to the school. Pitino had allegedly failed to promote an atmosphere of compliance.
Adidas wasn’t the only one allegedly offering Bowen and his family money to come to Louisville, though. And Bowen wasn’t the only one allegedly receiving money. Via the Louisville Courier Journal:
In addition, former Louisville assistant coach Jordan Fair was alleged to have knowingly been involved in an impermissible recruiting inducement of $11,800 to $13,500 to Brad Augustine, a non-scholastic boys basketball coach associated with prospects. And former Louisville assistant coach Kenny Johnson allegedly knowingly provided a $1,300 extra benefit to Bowen’s father.
Fair and Johnson also allegedly had impermissible contact with basketball prospects and provided them with impermissible transportation. The NCAA will reportedly hand down more severe penalties to both of them on Thursday. According to Norlander, Fair and Johnson will both be given two-year show cause penalties that will prevent them from recruiting.
