Full circle
O Pitino began his career under suspicion and will end it there too
usted Louisville men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino is under investigation for involvement in an alleged scheme to use money from Adidas to bribe high school recruits to attend the school, according to two people with knowledge of the investigation.
In a complaint unsealed in federal court in New York City on Tuesday as part of a wide-ranging probe of corruption in college basketball, Pitino is referred to as “Coach-2,” and is described as having significant sway at Adidas. According to phone records reviewed by the FBI described in the complaint, Pitino made three phone calls to Adidas executive Jim Gatto in late May and early June, days before a highly touted recruit made a surprise decision to attend Louisville.
Gatto was among 10 men arrested Tuesday on charges that include money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege Gatto arranged for a $100,000 bribe for the family of Brian Bowen, the former Indiana high school basketball star who made the surprise last-second decision to commit to Louisville this summer.
Pitino’s attorney, Stephen Pence, denied that Pitino was involved in arranging any illicit payments for recruits. Pence would not confirm or deny that Pitino is under investigation.
“We’re cooperating, and we’ll continue to cooperate with the U.S. Attorneys on this,” Pence said. “The coach did not participate in any way, in trying to funnel money to any recruit.”
In a July meeting in a Las Vegas hotel room the FBI recorded with video cameras, the complaint states, a sports agent named Christian Dawkins alleged that Pitino personally intervened and called Adidas executive Gatto to ensure Louisville won a bidding war against another school to land the recruit Bowen.
Adidas originally had agreed to provide a smaller amount for the recruit, Dawkins was recorded saying, but a rival school sponsored by another athletic apparel company was “coming with a higher number,” according to the complaint. The complaint repeatedly refers to “Coach 2,’’ but people familiar with the case say that person is Pitino.
Dawkins then said that he had spoken with Pitino about getting more money for Bowen’s family and informed Pitino that “I need you to call Jim Gatto... who’s the head of everything” at Adidas’s basketball program, the complaint states, substituting “Player-10” for Bowen, and “Company-1” for Adidas. Gatto ultimately agreed to pay Bowen’s family $100,000, the complaint alleges, in installments funneled through a series of middlemen, including Dawkins, who was among those arrested this week.
Dawkins’ attorney, a federal public defender, did not respond to a request to comment, nor did attorneys representing Gatto, the Adidas executive. In a statement, Adidas said Gatto had been put on administrative leave and the company had hired a law firm to investigate the allegations.
“We’re aware of the allegations and intend to cooperate with the relevant authorities... In all aspects of our business, Adidas is committed to compliance and ethical business practices,” the company said.
In that same Las Vegas meeting, an unnamed Louisville assistant coach participated, according to the complaint. Brad Augustine, an AAU coach from Florida, was recorded touting Pitino’s influence at Adidas.
“No one swings a bigger d--than” Pitino at Adidas, Augustine said, according to the complaint. “All (Pitino has to do) is pick up the phone and call somebody, (and say) these are my guys, they’re taking care of us.”
In late May and early June, according to the complaint, Pitino made three phone calls to Gatto, the last on June 1. On June 3, Bowen announced his commitment to Louisville. The decision was a surprise as Bowen, who grew up in Saginaw, Mich., before moving to Indiana, and had been expected to choose from Michigan State, Texas, Creighton, Arizona or North Carolina State.
In a radio interview after Bowen’s announcement, Pitino expressed amazement at how easy it had been to land the star recruit.
“In my 40 years of coaching, this is the luckiest I’ve been,” he said.
On Tuesday, Louisville placed Pitino, 65, on administrative leave pending further review.