LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rick Pitino, the only coach to lead three schools to the Final Four, is a proven winner.
The greatest challenge for the Louisville coach, however, might be saving his career and reputation in the midst of a salacious scandal.
The woman accused of trying to extort $10 million from Pitino approached him in a restaurant six years ago and they had sex, the coach told police. Karen Sypher claims the sex happened at a table after closing time.
Two weeks later, the married father of five gave Sypher $3,000 after she said she was going to have an abortion and didn’t have health insurance, according to a summary of Pitino’s July 12 statement to police. His attorney, Steve Pence, said the money was to help her get medical coverage, not specifically to pay for an abortion.
University of Louisville president James Ramsey expressed surprise Wednesday at the new details in the scandal surrounding the 56-year-old basketball coach, a staunch Roman Catholic whose contract includes dishonesty and moral depravity as grounds for firing.
Pitino said he will continue coaching the Cardinals “as long as they will have me.”
“I do want to say that the past seven months have been very difficult on the people I love,” Pitino said. “I am here today because I personally apologize to my family every single day.”
The school president expressed disappointment in Pitino’s “errors in judgment” but pledged to move forward.
“As we try to teach our students, when you make a mistake you admit it and right it as best you can,” Ramsey said. “Coach has done that today.”
Athletic director Tom Jurich said he was “a million percent” behind Pitino and he expects him to remain the head coach at Louisville “for a long time.”
In April, Pitino acknowledged he had contacted the FBI about a possible extortion plot against him. Sypher, 49, was then indicted May 12 on charges of extortion and lying to federal authorities. She has pleaded not guilty.
After she was charged, Sy-pher told police the sex with Pitino was not consensual, and said he also assaulted her when they met two weeks later to discuss her pregnancy. Kentucky authorities said there wasn’t enough evidence to prosecute.
