Absolutely amazing article on sports & academics

[bags27]

College Basketball Made Louisville, Then Broke It

A great, great article (very long; but it's brutally cold here in New England).

About a school that went completely off the rails. Ostensibly trying to improve its academic reputation through its athletic success, its AD and then its president used athletics to benefit themselves and a small group of execs. Explains why they got rid of Pitino for more than just the sneakers.

 

[BroadwayVa]

College Basketball Made Louisville, Then Broke It

A great, great article (very long; but it's brutally cold here in New England).

About a school that went completely off the rails. Ostensibly trying to improve its academic reputation through its athletic success, its AD and then its president used athletics to benefit themselves and a small group of execs. Explains why they got rid of Pitino for more than just the sneakers.

Before I being: I haven't like Pitino for a long time--he appeared to be a snake oil salesman.
Having said that; I read some and scanned most of this article but I didn't see proof or convictions of any of those charged. Did I miss that part? I'm not a fan and know the history of the FBI.
To me that is a scary thing; charged, convicted, and sentenced without one day before a judge.

 

[bags27]

Before I being: I haven't like Pitino for a long time--he appeared to be a snake oil salesman.
Having said that; I read some and scanned most of this article but I didn't see proof or convictions of any of those charged. Did I miss that part? I'm not a fan and know the history of the FBI.
To me that is a scary thing; charged, convicted, and sentenced without one day before a judge.

I agree with your feelings toward Pitino. But note that he wasn't charged, convicted, or sentenced. He was just fired. Lots and lots of people are fired for various reasons that don't involve breaking the law. On his watch, this is the latest (of at least 3) scandals connected to his team. He has proved that he lacks the capacity or desire to maintain oversight of his program. That's certainly enough to fire him. Lots of coaches are dealt with that way.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Somebody put a ton of work into that. I read the whole thing. There is a gross parallels between Louisville and Connecticut; basketball gave both a visibility and degree of respect they never had before. However, Louisville squandered the opportunity. It's ranked 165 in colleges and universities; UConn tied for 56.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I agree with your feelings toward Pitino. But note that he wasn't charged, convicted, or sentenced. He was just fired. Lots and lots of people are fired for various reasons that don't involve breaking the law. On his watch, this is the latest (of at least 3) scandals connected to his team. He has proved that he lacks the capacity or desire to maintain oversight of his program. That's certainly enough to fire him. Lots of coaches are dealt with that way.

Isn't being fired over the accuzations is akin to being charged and convicted==the sentence was being without the job. Being fired for proveable cause is not what I saw with the entire group around Pitino. At the end of a contract or breaking a contract to replace someone is not being fired. (fired is term sometimes loosely and wrongly used ; discharged for proveable cause). Again accusation are not charges and scandals without proof is not guilt. No I don't like Pitino or his methods --but guilt by insinuation does not sit well with me.

 

[bags27]

Isn't being fired over the accuzations is akin to being charged and convicted==the sentence was being without the job. Being fired for proveable cause is not what I saw with the entire group around Pitino. At the end of a contract or breaking a contract to replace someone is not being fired. (fired is term sometimes loosely and wrongly used ; discharged for proveable cause). Again accusation are not charges and scandals without proof is not guilt. No I don't like Pitino or his methods --but guilt by insinuation does not sit well with me.

I take your point. But we only know what the newspapers tell us, and often an institution will keep quiet about its own internal investigations in order to use that as future leverage (and, as it turns out, Pitino is suing). The University does not owe the public a full explanation. Obviously, Pitino was a wildly successful coach. Firing him has cost the University a lot of prestige, wins, and very possibly money. We have to believe that it felt that, after two other recent scandals, Pitino demonstrably failed yet again. An acting president just does not do this without the full support of the University's board, and the board does not want this unless it absolutely has to do it.

 

[ChicagoGG]

That was a VERY interesting article. I for one, had no idea, that as little as 15 years ago, Louisville was a commuter school, and has grown into a research center, actual campus with dorms, and I guess a landlord....but, on to Pitino....
at some point the dirty brush of scandal had to stick to Slick Rick. The U stood by him during the mistress/abortion/blackmail scandal. They stood by him during the strippers and hookers for bball recruits and team players. This straw was the end. Somewhere in his contract was a morals clause, that finally was invoked. The fact that it was his 3rd strike (that we know of) was likely sufficient. There is no way that he did not know something was amiss in that program. He may have been well insulated from direct knowledge, but big time coaches are control freaks, they can sense trouble from a mile away. The fact that he was extremely expensive and tied to an AD on his way out likely contributed.

I have no problem with the U's decision.

That said, someone, somewhere, will have dreams of bball glory. Rick will work again in college sports. Wait and see. Just don't be surprised if it happens again.

 

[j66kicker]

ESPN published a similar, and similarly-lengthy, article last week, written by Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada, the brothers who wrote Game of Shadows, which broke the Barry Bonds/BALCO steroids scandal, and wrote League of Denial, which started the public opinion outcry that forced the NFL to finally start addressing concussions & CTE.

OTL: The making of The University of Adidas at Louisville

Very good, but long...

 

[BigBird]

There is no way that he did not know something was amiss in that program. He may have been well insulated from direct knowledge, but big time coaches are control freaks, they can sense trouble from a mile away.

That’s the part that gives me a chuckle. Coaches (including the honest and reputable ones) are control freaks and micro-managers. Moreover, the ones I’ve known close up are also monitoring the every non-athletic move of their athletes. In a benign scenario, this is just a coach assuming wide responsibility for the welfare of the program. No serious harm in that.

But in a mess like Louisville, these same traits conspire to produce a mafia-like code of silence, coupled with a “might makes right” approach to most every issue. And when they claim they knew nothing...