Report: Louisville basketball imposing postseason ban over escort scandal

The Louisville Cardinals basketball team has self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2015-2016 season, according to a report.

Sources told the Jeff Greer of the Louisville Courier-Journal that the team was told of the decision on Friday.

Unlike some postseason bans, this one actually matters. Louisville was almost certainly bound for the NCAA Tournament, with an 18-4 record and sitting second in the ACC. It’s a particularly cruel blow for graduate transfers Damion Lee and Trey Lewis, who transferred to Louisville with the hope of reaching the tournament for the first time in their college careers.

All of this stems from the allegations that someone involved with the basketball program paid a madam and escorts thousands of dollars in exchange for sex with players and recruits. Coach Rick Pitino has steadfastly maintained that he had no knowledge of any illicit activities, but even if he didn’t, that doesn’t seem as though it’s going to save his program from the NCAA’s hammer if they’re found to have done wrong – and a self-imposed postseason ban would seem to indicate that they have.