Rick Pitino stresses 'no knowledge' of recruiting scandal, cites lie detector test

[BleedGopher]

per ESPN:

Rick Pitino reiterated that he had "no knowledge" of an alleged payment from a Louisville assistant coach to the family of high-profile recruit Brian Bowen, citing a lie detector test he took earlier this month.

As part of a wide-ranging interview with ESPN's Jay Bilas, Pitino discussed the events and alleged activities that prompted an FBI investigation and ultimately resulted in his ouster at Louisville. The Hall of Fame coach said that he takes "full responsibility" for any staffer he hires but also emphasized that he thoroughly vets his assistant coaches.

Pitino referred to the lie detector test on multiple occasions, telling Bilas that "one of the toughest things you have to do -- and I hope you never do it -- is take a lie detector test."

"I was asked two questions," Pitino said. "And I said, 'I want you to ask me if any other recruits in my tenure were ever given anything.' And he [the polygraph examiner] said, 'That's not what we're here for. We're here for did you have any knowledge of the Bowen family getting any money, did you have any knowledge of an Adidas transaction?'

"I answered 'absolutely not' on both questions and passed the lie detector test. So I had no knowledge of any of this."

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...ge-recruiting-scandal-cites-lie-detector-test

Go Gophers!!

 

[Former Goofer]

citing a lie detector test he took earlier this month.

100% reliable.

 

[#2Gopher]

100% reliable.

I'll be an interesting law suit when it plays out eventually.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

I think that’s the point Rick. He knows nothing of what’s going on in his program. That could be enough for cause.

 

[GopherJack]

Wow - watching the interview now on ESPN. Rick needs a nap!

 

[SelectionSunday]

The Slickster also known as Sergeant Schultz.

 

[Tim1406]

I think that’s the point Rick. He knows nothing of what’s going on in his program. That could be enough for cause.

Yeah but if he did know nothing and adidas did something that got him fired then adidas is liable for his contract?

 

[Gophers7NatTitlesBadgers0]

Yeah but if he did know nothing and adidas did something that got him fired then adidas is liable for his contract?

Dead on. This is not about Louisville firing him so much as it is about helping him in his lawsuit with Adidas.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

They were on probation. Zero tolerance, even if Rick knew nothing.

 

[bizzle22]

This being the third scandal he was involved in (at Louisville), and the second where he claimed to know nothing, I don't think there is any question that the university was justified in firing him for cause. Which is probably why he isn't suing the school. You might get away with the "I didn't know" excuse once, especially if you are an established coach, but you can't play that same card twice. I'm sure this lawsuit will end up being settled due to legal fees.

 

[MRJ]

Doesn't matter if he didn't know.

He's one of the highest paid coaches in the country. And to listen to him tell it, he didn't have any clue as to what is going on with his program. That alone is a fireable offense. And that's under the best of circumstances.

 

[60's Guy]

Pitino will definitely sue Louisville for his money owed. It just hasn't happened yet. I agree with the argument on the surface that he should know but the reality also is sometimes you can't know. He is guilty of hiring the wrong people. And I agree, in this instance he probably can be fired for cause but I'll be very surprised if it is not contested. I don't think he knew. He trusted his players and his coaches to do the right thing. He repeatedly reminded them of his unwillingness to bend rules. He is a witness not a target of arrest. Interesting story but horribly devastating to live through and have your passion stolen because of somebody else's poor judgment, plus listening to everybody taking shots at you. Some very ugly life experiences for the Pitino family. Richard has had his own roller coaster of fortunes and similarly he hasn't done anything himself except choose the profession in these vicious mob mentality social media times.

 

[Winasota Gopher]

Yeah but if he did know nothing and adidas did something that got him fired then adidas is liable for his contract?

I’m not understanding the point you’re making?

 

[bga1]

Pitino will definitely sue Louisville for his money owed. It just hasn't happened yet. I agree with the argument on the surface that he should know but the reality also is sometimes you can't know. He is guilty of hiring the wrong people. And I agree, in this instance he probably can be fired for cause but I'll be very surprised if it is not contested. I don't think he knew. He trusted his players and his coaches to do the right thing. He repeatedly reminded them of his unwillingness to bend rules. He is a witness not a target of arrest. Interesting story but horribly devastating to live through and have your passion stolen because of somebody else's poor judgment, plus listening to everybody taking shots at you. Some very ugly life experiences for the Pitino family. Richard has had his own roller coaster of fortunes and similarly he hasn't done anything himself except choose the profession in these vicious mob mentality social media times.

My guess is that he set a culture of- "get it done, I don't want to know how." Just get it done. If so, its his fault whether he knew or not. It may help him skate from legal consequences and get compensated though...

 

[60's Guy]

My guess is that he set a culture of- "get it done, I don't want to know how." Just get it done. If so, its his fault whether he knew or not. It may help him skate from legal consequences and get compensated though...

I've read all I can find bga1. Pitino is not characterized anything close to anything like that by his assistants or former players. He was very much anal about the details of the rules. He emphasized following the rules every day to his assistants. He told his coaches if they had any suspicions and were not comfortable talking to him, talk to the compliance office....follow the rules, report anything that is not exactly as it should be. The AD lost his job because he believes Pitino is innocent. Pitino had the Bowen family investigated this summer....way before any of this became public...to determine how they could afford their affluent living lifestyle in Louisville. The finding was they had the finances to live in that manner.

As public as he is about his innocence...an attitude like you suggest would become public and further crush him as not in control. From what I've read...the culture was the opposite of what you suggest.

 

[howeda7]

I've read all I can find bga1. Pitino is not characterized anything close to anything like that by his assistants or former players. He was very much anal about the details of the rules. He emphasized following the rules every day to his assistants. He told his coaches if they had any suspicions and were not comfortable talking to him, talk to the compliance office....follow the rules, report anything that is not exactly as it should be. The AD lost his job because he believes Pitino is innocent. Pitino had the Bowen family investigated this summer....way before any of this became public...to determine how they could afford their affluent living lifestyle in Louisville. The finding was they had the finances to live in that manner.

As public as he is about his innocence...an attitude like you suggest would become public and further crush him as not in control. From what I've read...the culture was the opposite of what you suggest.

For the sake of his rep and by extension Richard's, I hope that's true. But you only get so many strikes, and Rick used all of his. He's retiring age anyway. Clear your name as best you can and enjoy retirement.

 

[Holy Man]

For the sake of his rep and by extension Richard's, I hope that's true. But you only get so many strikes, and Rick used all of his. He's retiring age anyway. Clear your name as best you can and enjoy retirement.

Frank Martin, whose former assistant was one of the arrested, said something like, "Why would I risk all that I have worked so hard to accomplish for a few dollars?" That makes perfect sense to me, and the same reasoning has me wondering why in the world Rick would have been part of something like a payoff this late in his career. That is one reason why there is a smidgen of me that thinks Rick might be telling the truth. Not much but a smidgen, and I know I am in the tiny minority with that. But he's also both compulsive and competitive, both of which can blind one to common sense like Frank Martin's.

 

[Heracles]

Lie detector tests can be very ineffective on sociopaths. A 2 question lie detector test? It can take dozens of questions just to get a baseline before the actual questioning begins. They don't tell you which is which. I don't buy what he's saying for a second.

As a fraud investigator, I get all kinds of training on interviewing techniques, things to look for in terms of response/body language. I couldn't even see the man speaking, but, "ask me if any other kid ever received benefits during my tenure," sticks out to me. Fishy quote, especially directed at the lie detector guy. If you're really innocent in regards to the accusation, why bring that up?

Kind of lines up with classic type of stuff you see from an embezzler (for example) when they start to realize there's no getting out of it. The exemplary record always comes up right before the end. Then comes lashing out/blaming others (note Pitino's remark on vetting everyone, but he just can't possibly be as thorough as he'd like because he's too busy busting his tail for the university). Next comes the rationalization (probably something like, "the kid really needed the help," "the pressure from the boosters to keep up with Kentucky was too much, "I did X and Y for that program and didn't get A or B," "victimless crime, and if I didn't do that Calipari would have.")

 

[Heracles]

Frank Martin, whose former assistant was one of the arrested, said something like, "Why would I risk all that I have worked so hard to accomplish for a few dollars?" That makes perfect sense to me, and the same reasoning has me wondering why in the world Rick would have been part of something like a payoff this late in his career. That is one reason why there is a smidgen of me that thinks Rick might be telling the truth. Not much but a smidgen, and I know I am in the tiny minority with that. But he's also both compulsive and competitive, both of which can blind one to common sense like Frank Martin's.

Another very common initial response to an accusation from the guilty party. I can come up with a number of reasons why someone would risk it. First, it's not a "few dollars." In some cases it's more money that the average schmuk makes in his lifetime. Isn't that why you're in that gig in the first place? The money and fame? Second, the ego is a powerful thing, especially the type-A personality it takes to thrive in that line of work. Nobody ever thinks it's possible they'd get caught. They're aware it happens, but getting caught isn't seriously considered, because they're smarter than the guys that get caught.

 

[MinnesotaPowerCouple]

Sure, we believe you Slick Rick.

 

[Mulligan]

Pitino will definitely sue Louisville for his money owed. It just hasn't happened yet. I agree with the argument on the surface that he should know but the reality also is sometimes you can't know. He is guilty of hiring the wrong people. And I agree, in this instance he probably can be fired for cause but I'll be very surprised if it is not contested. I don't think he knew. He trusted his players and his coaches to do the right thing. He repeatedly reminded them of his unwillingness to bend rules. He is a witness not a target of arrest. Interesting story but horribly devastating to live through and have your passion stolen because of somebody else's poor judgment, plus listening to everybody taking shots at you. Some very ugly life experiences for the Pitino family. Richard has had his own roller coaster of fortunes and similarly he hasn't done anything himself except choose the profession in these vicious mob mentality social media times.

You continue to provide great entertainment. Poor Rick is misunderstood and persecuted, yet you can't stop going after our own football coach because he's such a slime and totally unbelievable about what he's saying according to you. "Doing the right thing," and, "His unwillingness to bend the rules," both used to defend Rick Pitino. Still not as stupid as wanting Mark Coyle to talk to someone who is claiming sexual assault, but, once again, a pretty good attempt.

 

[60's Guy]

You continue to provide great entertainment. Poor Rick is misunderstood and persecuted, yet you can't stop going after our own football coach because he's such a slime and totally unbelievable about what he's saying according to you. "Doing the right thing," and, "His unwillingness to bend the rules," both used to defend Rick Pitino. Still not as stupid as wanting Mark Coyle to talk to someone who is claiming sexual assault, but, once again, a pretty good attempt.

I know you are omnipotent Mulligan. You have all the answers. I’m only reporting what I read his assistant coaches said about him. What his players say about him. The fact the athletic director got fired because he believes him. But you go right ahead, continue to do your thing casting stones.

I have no knowledge if Rick is innocent. I have never met him. I’m just reporting those closer to him believe he is.