Rick Pitino: How is 9/11 Related to Banging Some Skank in a Restaurant?

University of Louisville men's basketball Coach Rick Pitino told police he had consensual sex at a restaurant with a woman named Karen Cunagin Sypher in 2003. He also said he later gave the woman $3,000 when she said she wanted to have an abortion but didn't have health insurance.

Sypher claims that Pitino raped her, an allegation that the coach denies. Her credibility has been questioned by law enforcement officials due to inconsistent facts and only coming forward with claims of rape after she had been charged with attempting to extort money from Pitino.

Pitino has apologized for the incident and it appears that he will remain at Louisville. University President James Ramsey said it is time to move on and that Pitino is "our guy."

During the apology, Pitino said, "I came here at a very difficult time. When 9/11 hit, you needed a community to get you over it. In New York City, it was easy because everybody knew the devastation of that and they got each other over it.  In Louisville, the impact wasn't felt like New York City, but I needed the community to help me get over it. The university officials and my friends and loved ones have helped me through this very difficult time."

It was not the first time Pitino referenced the 9/11 attacks in regards to the Karen Sypher case. He brought claims of extortion to the FBI in March of this year and later said, "But if I can get through 9/11, I can get through anything in my life, and I got through 9/11, and there's nothing ever that's going to come close to that."

Pitino's brother-in-law was killed in the attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. I cannot imagine the pain that a family would feel after such a tragic incident. However, I think it is a subject not suited for reference when talking about adultery.

Since his days at the University of Kentucky, I have always admired Pitino as a basketball coach. Now, I see him as a scumbag. Cheating on your wife is bad enough. Giving the woman you banged at a restaurant money for an abortion is worse. Comparing it all to dealing with the grief of thousands of people losing their lives is asinine.