The father of a former University of Louisville basketball star stood silent as the school weathered several scandals over the past few years, including allegations that an assistant coach hired escorts to entice recruits and the news that coach Rick Pitino was extorted by a former mistress he impregnated. But he worries that the latest allegation — that players took money from Adidas to attend the Kentucky school — could taint his son and his former teammates forever. Here the dad — who, to protect his son’s identity, asked that his own name not be revealed — shares his fears and recalls his experience as the father of a top-ranked recruit — including being offered bribes by another university.
WHEN my son was in high school, I was approached at an AAU tournament by someone from a rival of Louisville’s. He said, “If you want to go to our school, we can get you $100,000.”
But I never considered it, so I didn’t ask for details.
Going into the recruiting process, I knew one thing: I was proud of my son, and I wanted to protect him. I didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize his future.
When talking to coaches, I made it clear that we weren’t looking for financial compensation.
When he chose Louisville, he did so for a few reasons. The biggest? That would be Rick Pitino.
When he committed, my son was choosing between Louisville and another school that had National Championship titles and was no stranger to the Final Four.
We called both coaches and told them it was down to their schools.
Coach Rick Pitino rearranged his schedule, to my surprise, and flew in to close the deal.
That night, my son decided he was going to be a Cardinal.
We called the other coach and told him not to bother coming.
Since the time my son was young, he was a phenomenal athlete.
He was bigger, stronger and faster than the kids his age. Before he excelled in hoops, he was a standout baseball player.
By the time he was in the seventh grade, I knew with certainty that my son was going to play big-time hoops.
The very next year, he received his first offer, and it was from a legendary Division 1 program. It would be the first but not the last. A week later, he had another from a big-time school. The schools like to verbally offer and put out a statement so they can show the basketball world they have dibs on you.
As the recruiting process heated up in high school, our mailbox was stuffed with envelopes daily. I still have five storage bins full of letters.
While Adidas had no impact on my son’s decision to go to Louisville, other kids he played with in AAU were definitely led by sneaker companies. I saw it all the time. Their influence runs very deep — especially with families that don’t have means.
Adidas started sponsoring my son’s AAU team when he was about 13. While we still had to drive to tournaments, they paid for hotels, meals and, of course, all of the gear and sneakers. At the time, I was struggling financially, so Adidas’ support was truly a godsend for us.
As he started looking at schools, an Adidas rep tried to push us toward a school in the Big Ten and another in the Big 12 that Adidas had contracts with. There is no doubt they are surrogates for the schools. Adidas pushes their kids to go to Adidas schools, and it’s the same with Nike.
Quite honestly, we never let the Adidas rep get too close to us, but I’ve watched it with players who didn’t have a stable home. Families get preyed upon by sneaker reps all of the time.
I know we weren’t the norm. We were the exception.
I know we weren’t the norm. We were the exception.
I don’t want to attack the university, but I am concerned how this investigation is being handled. My wife and I are mad at both the NCAA and Louisville. I don’t think they upheld their end of the bargain to protect my kid and other players.
Hopefully, this shakes up the NCAA. It’s stockpiling billions of dollars, and I think the kids should be paid. Paying them for all the revenue they bring in to their colleges and to the NCAA would eliminate any incentive for taking bribes. Perhaps some sort of trust could be set up for each player.
As for Coach Pitino, I don’t know the facts yet. I do know he is crazy hardworking. I believe he is innocent until proven guilty. He allows people to do their jobs, and expects follow-through from his staff. When you’re coaching at that level, you can’t be privy to everything that goes on.
With the fallout from the hookers, I don’t believe he’d do anything as stupid as getting involved in a sneaker scam to further jeopardize the program. But there are dumb folks who come into programs and want to cut corners, just like Andre McGee, who was responsible for the escort scandal.
It’s like being in the car when only one person has drugs and you all get arrested.
There could be a smoking gun that comes out tomorrow that shows him doing a shady deal. I don’t know. I’m hesitant to pile on him in his darkest time. I do know that I gave Pitino my boy, and he gave me back a man.
While everyone is talking about Pitino, his legacy, and marveling over his downfall, there is another story that’s not being told.
No one realizes how this affects former and current players, who worked hard and put in the dedication to play at this level.
There is real human collateral damage here.
I am worried if this is going to impact my son’s future, especially if he decides he wants to work in collegiate sports. He is so devastated right now that he doesn’t want to talk to people. He knows he has to show his face at some engagements in the next few days and he’s dreading it. He’s a pretty recognizable fella, and the questions and unsolicited comments being lobbed his way are too much for him to handle.
Regardless how it turns out, there’s always going to be a suspicion around anyone who played at Louisville. It now feels tainted, and that makes me very sad.