Rick Pitino Comments on Andre McGee, Escort Scandal and More

Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino stated Tuesday that the Cardinals program had preventive measures in place to keep players and recruits out of trouble, but the system failed during the escort scandal.  

Pitino discussed the situation during an appearance on ESPN's Mike and Mike morning show and placed the blame on the shoulders of former graduate assistant Andre McGee (via ESPN.com):

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You have your dorm security people, who are being interviewed by the NCAA, then you have your graduate assistants. One unfortunate one was Andre McGee, whose sole responsibility was to make sure the kids get to school on time, make sure they get up in the mornings when they have a presentation or breakfast with a head coach or family.

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He added: "And then we have another graduate assistant. So the problem we had, is we did have people in place. And the one person we did have in place, whose sole responsibility was to make sure they do the right things, and unfortunately that was Andre McGee. That was the problem there."

Pitino also said he didn't understand why McGee felt the need to use tactics like hiring escorts in order to attract prospects: "If I could just get [McGee] in a room for 10 minutes, I would say to him 'why would you do this? What purpose did it serve? We didn't need this to get recruits.'"

John Barr of Outside the Lines reported Sunday that multiple former Louisville recruits confirmed the existence of parties with strippers and prostitutes. Former escort Katina Powell stated in her book, Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen, that McGee paid her to supply dancers and escorts.

The situation forced Louisville to self-impose a postseason ban for the current season while the NCAA, which could still punish the program further, investigates possible violations.

Dana O'Neil of ESPN.com reported on March 10 that Pitino is expected to interview with the NCAA sometime in April to discuss the matter.

Pitino has attempted to distance himself from the entire ordeal throughout the process. Tuesday's comments continued to place the emphasis on McGee's role as the assistant who was supposed to handle player and recruit matters away from the court.

The question is whether that stance will be corroborated by other people being interviewed by the NCAA and if it could prevent further punishment against Pitino and the basketball program. No timetable has been released for a final resolution.