Ex-Louisville Players Sue NCAA over Vacated 2012, 2013 Seasons

A group of former University of Louisville basketball players is reportedly filing a lawsuit against the NCAA for vacating the Cardinals' 2012 and 2013 seasons because of ineligible players.

On Tuesday, college basketball insider Jeff Goodman reported Luke Hancock, who was named the Most Outstanding Player at the 2013 Final Four when the Cards won the later-vacated national title, is among the former student-athletes involved in the suit.

In June 2017, the NCAA announced Louisville would be forced to vacate all wins that featured ineligible players from December 2010 through July 2014 after an investigation found former director of basketball operations Andre McGee "committed serious violations by arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others."

Other penalties related to the case included a five-game ACC suspension for longtime head coach Rick Pitino for failure to monitor the program, scholarship reductions, recruiting restrictions, a $5,000 fine and being forced to repay revenue sharing from its NCAA tournament appearances over the timeframe.

The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee upheld the decision in February.

Pitino was fired by Louisville in October amid the FBI investigation into widespread corruption in college basketball focused on the sport's pay-to-play culture.

The 65-year-old New York City native denied any knowledge of the recruiting scandal during an October interview with ESPN's Jay Bilas. He filed a lawsuit against the school for breach of contract.

Louisville's tournament triumph in 2013 represented the Cardinals' third national championship. Only their 1980 and 1986 titles still remain on the books after the NCAA's ruling, and the school has since removed the banner from the KFC Yum Center.