View topic - Louisville used escort service to recruit bball players 4yrs •

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The University of Louisville and the NCAA are looking into allegations in a soon-to-be-published book that a former director of basketball operations paid an escort service to provide sex to Cardinals recruits.

The NCAA talked to LSU freshman and ex-Louisville commit Antonio Blakeney earlier this week about his experiences on a recruiting visit, a source told ESPN.

"We're still trying to uncover the facts," Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said during a news conference Friday. "We want to get to the bottom of it as much as anybody does ... and we will."

The book, titled "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," contends that a woman named Katina Powell was hired repeatedly by former Louisville player, graduate assistant and director of basketball operations Andre McGee to provide strippers and prostitutes during recruits' campus visits.

In the book, the 43-year-old Powell says she provided entertainment for 22 parties from 2010 to 2014.

Louisville released a statement Friday that it first learned of the allegations when the Indianapolis Business Journal contacted the school in late August. The school said it had retained Chuck Smrt of the Compliance Group to conduct an investigation.

The book is scheduled to be released by IBJ Book Publishing LLC as soon as this weekend. Powell told the IBJ that part of the reason she is doing the book is to make money. She will receive 10 percent of the book's sales.

Jurich said he has been in contact with coach Rick Pitino about the allegations.

"We talk all the time. He's my basketball coach," Jurich said. "He wouldn't condone this either. He has a perfect track record."

Yahoo! Sports first reported that the book would be published.

"In coordination with the University's legal counsel and faculty athletics representative, Mr. Smrt's review was quickly launched to assess the validity of the information and the potential for any NCAA rules violations," the school said in its statement. "The University, on its own initiative, notified the NCAA Enforcement Staff regarding this matter and has been in regular communication with them.

"The University of Louisville will continue its review in full cooperation and coordination with the NCAA and if warranted, take any appropriate action. The allegations have been taken very seriously. In no way would anyone at this institution condone the alleged activities."

McGee is currently an assistant coach at UMKC. ESPN's attempts to contact him were not immediately returned.

"I would be very shocked if he's involved in this," Jurich said.