Rick Pitino insists he had no knowledge of any payments made to recruits or any illegal scam involving Adidas, and the former Louisville basketball coach says he has already proven himself with a lie detector test.
Pitino sat down for an interview with ESPN’s Jay Bilas this week, and he was asked if he knew about anything that recently came out when the FBI released findings from its fraud investigation.
Rick Pitino: "I passed a lie detector test."
Watch more of his interview with Jay Bilas on SVP after the Wolves-Spurs game. pic.twitter.com/e67Lf6mE5f
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 19, 2017
“One of the toughest things you have to do is take a lie detector test,” Pitino told Bilas. “You have a blood pressure machine, you’re wired up, and I was asked two questions. … He said, ‘Did you have any knowledge of the Bowen family getting any money and did you have any knowledge of an Adidas transaction?’ I answered absolutely not on both questions and passed a lie detector test. I have no knowledge of any of this.”
Pitino was fired by Louisville on Monday for cause, meaning the university will not have to pay him the money remaining on his contract. He has adamantly denied having any knowledge of payments that were made from Adidas to five-star recruit Brian Bowen, though it would appear investigators believe they can link Pitino to the fraud scheme.
Even if Pitino can prove he had no knowledge of the alleged Adidas payments, this is the third embarrassing ordeal he has been a part of since he was hired by Louisville in 2001. He was also part of an extortion attempt in 2009 that stemmed from an affair he was having, and the NCAA had recently suspended him five games in relation to a sex parties scandal with recruits.
