Rick Pitino admits having sex with Karen Sypher and paying for her abortion

by Mike Rutherford on Aug 11, 2009 11:57 PM EDT in Basketball Comment 48 comments

A very, very bad day to be a Louisville basketball fan.

University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino told police that he had consensual sex with Karen Cunagin Sypher at a Louisville restaurant where he'd been drinking on Aug. 1, 2003.
He also told police that he later gave Sypher $3,000 to have an abortion, according to Louisville Metro Police reports The Courier-Journal obtained under the Kentucky Open Records Act.
But Pitino denied Sypher's allegations that he raped her at Porcini, after the restaurant closed, and again a few weeks later at a different location, police records show. And prosecutors who have reviewed Sypher's claims say Pitino won't be charged.

What a disgrace.

There certainly appears to be nothing good or decent under any of the shady rocks encasing this story.

More tomorrow.

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I Always Believed that This Day that Would Never Come... Was Coming.

Terrible and sad, this evening’s bad news eclipses the joy that the Pitino era at the University of Louisville has brought to my life while it also simultaneously puts into perspective how acute my wanting to be entertained by college basketball, particularly the Cards, really is. And, without sounding too much like a baby, I shouldn’t have to feel that way. Your sports team should be an escape from reality, a chance to feel entertained and happy, even if the rest of your day is filled with life’s sobering realities, its inevitable truths and let downs. Now that escape has collided with reality, and a cloud of disappointment casts a shadow on a great program and a proud city, I am left feeling more conflicted about the Louisville Cardinals and Rick Pitino than I ever thought I would have to.

An excerpt from WHAS’ story highlighting a portion of Pitino’s contract:

WHAS11’s Sports Director Kyle Draper reports there is a stipulation in Rick Pitino’s contract which gives the university the right to fire him for just cause, and that one clause in particular sticks out. It says just cause shall be understood to include all of the following:

"Disparaging media publicity of a material nature that damages the good name and reputation of employer or university, if such publicity is caused by employee’s willful misconduct that could objectively be anticipated to bring employee into public disrepute or scandal, or which tends to greatly offend the public, or any class thereof on the basis of invidious distinction."

Ladies and gentlemen, fans of the UofL Cardinals, this will be a very difficult time for the athletic department and University, but now is the time for honest self reflection. UofL is one of the top basketball programs in the country, and we must conduct ourselves and make program decisions accordingly.

Wow.

Overreact much?

by CARD_G6 on Aug 12, 2009 3:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

we knew what happened when this was first reported by putting the peices together. personally as far as the program goes this is not worse than violations against the program, this is a personal matter with pitino. Will the program fire him…NO. It may hurt recruiting.

Like i said we knew what happened when the kids showed up with posters saying abortion at court, do you really think he raped her..ya right..look at her. He should have stated all facts when it first reported so we are not going over this again.

What will happen is he will lay low until the season starts which he is doing right now or until his court date for his version of the story which we will all have to hear about again throught the public media. After the season starts people will put this in back of their head and worry about wins..and in a couple/few years Pitino will win another championship and everyone including you will praise him..the End.

by Final4Galore on Aug 12, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

well......

the national championship part? Not so sure. If we couldn’t do it with 2 first round picks, will we ever?

Go Cards!

by Red Rage on Aug 12, 2009 11:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not Sure

I was just saying that as a joke for people to lighten up..but yes we had our chances last year with that team. But really sometimes it is all about match-ups and who you play in the tourny, and i am a strong beleiver in that having a good PG and C will get you to the top.

But as far as people saying he isn’t going to be here, that is a joke. He would have left when it broke out..if you have read his books, Pitino goes stronger when he is knocked down, and it won’t surprise me to see him resurect himself back to the top and write another book on how he got there.

by Final4Galore on Aug 12, 2009 11:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sure, let's be honest.

You are completely overreacting.

(1) Pitino cheated on his wife one time in 2003. Maybe more. It sucks that it happened, and it sucks worse that it was exposed, but it is not something that should shock any adult who pays attention to what is going on in the world. Nor do we know what understandings might exist within the Pitino household, or how that family is dealing with it. In short, this issue is almost entirely between Pitino and his spouse, and one incident in 2003 doesn’t give fans of the University the right to cry foul. And for that matter, our previous coach was in the same boat, and he was never criticized for it.

(2) He paid for an alleged abortion. Being pro-choice, this isn’t a big issue for me, but I realize that it may be for others. Nevertheless, he didn’t encourage the abortion, nor do the facts that we know even given us very good reason to believe that Sypher even needed an abortion. At bottom, Pitino had no choice in the matter, and he was asked for $3000 which he provided. He did nothing illegal, nor did he take advantage of the situation he helped create.

(3) There is absolutely no reason to suggest this will hurt the basketball program in any significant way. It is a big, embarrassing story, and will be until the season starts. And in the next season, it may hurt our recruiting a bit. But it will be forgotten in the same way that huge other scandals are forgotten, and life will move on just fine. We will have a top 20 team next year, and we’ll have our good and bad moments.

by 83fan on Aug 12, 2009 5:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm repeating myself...

… when I say that Louisville basketball was top notch BEFORE Rick Pitino and will be top notch AFTER Rick Pitino. And I’m repeating others by noting that you’ve over-reacted.

Grog

"There is no OFF position to the genius switch" - D. Letterman

by GrogInOhio on Aug 12, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sure Jimmy B will let him come back and be his assistant if he needs a job.

by Upstait on Aug 12, 2009 2:04 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yikes

Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.

by Sean Keeley on Aug 12, 2009 2:10 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

So what's it going to be?

Throughout the foreseeable future there will be many people coming out in defense of Coach Pitino. They will say, “He’s here to coach our team, what he does in his own time is his business. We pay him to win games, not guide our ethics. Everyone new that he and his wife weren’t on the best of terms. Abortions are legal, so is paying for one. If he did nothing illegal, he did nothing wrong.”

These fans are disingenuous.

We know that there is a lot more going on in Freedom Hall than just basketball games. Fans of every school want to feel superior to the fans of all the others. While we yearn for superiority on the court, a fan will claim superiority in almost every other facet of life, especially moral superiority. UofL fans love saying that UK will do anything to win. They’d hire a drunk womanizer in Gillespie and then follow him with a cheater in Calipari. We love to talk about how nasty the WVU fans have been at football games. Why? Because we’re better than they are, and that makes us feel good. We have the moral high ground.

Icons represent something to all of us. Often they represent something that doesn’t actually exist, something too good to be true. I think the Cardinal Bird stands for something special. I’m a cardinal because I went to UofL, and being a cardinal means having character and class. . .to me.

So what happens when a person who represents the symbol by which we identify and claim ourselves does something that we would never want to be associated with? Do we support him because he is one of our own, or do we cast him out because he tarnished the romantic ideas we had about our icon?

by Dais on Aug 12, 2009 3:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

shrugs

seems like a huge overreaction by a lot of people

by cmb on Aug 12, 2009 5:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Man oh man.... I never expected to see this kind of reaction when I woke up

C’mon… these rumors about Pitino and women have been swirling AT LEAST since his UK 90’s heyday.

Do I condone cheating on one’s wife? No. But…30-50% of both male AND females thruout the U. S. admit to having affairs (depending on the survey.)

And, anyone who thinks a lot of that wealthy, powerful men don’t have affairs…well, you apparently haven’t been around a lot of those guys.

The abortion? I’m pro-choice and it was legal ~~-and I’ve seen it happen with others a few times in my 50+ yrs~~- so I’m not exorcised about that either.

But… Is this PR good for U of L BBall — they say any PR is good, even when it’s awful.

But somehow, I do not think that will be the case here, particularly with recruiting…

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 6:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I mostly agree

Pitino has always been fairly active in the Catholic church, and he will probably go a semi-public Catholic redemption process with Rev. Bradley. Pitino will likely lose a lot of pull in the Catholic community; something that was a huge strength for him in Lexington. I believe that Pitino’s protogee Billy Donovan has used a similar church-based strength (not Catholic? I can’t confirm which faith) in the Gainesville area.

Recruiting isn’t an exact science: some families will not associate with Pitino because of this, and some will see the opportunity of playing at a big-time basketball school outweighing Pitino’s misdeeds.

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on Aug 12, 2009 7:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hey frank!

did you know that gary parrish linked to Hell in the Hall in his column about this mess.

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6271764/16571430

The link is to a “Loony” screenshot that you stole from Fox41

good stuff

by drhustle on Aug 12, 2009 12:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a story to be sure

that Louisville detractors love to discuss, but is more an issue between Rick, his wife, his children and this obviously unstable woman. Other than that, who cares?

Rick has made a fool of himself, and he realizes that, but he has survived a great deal more in his life than this, and I am sure this too will pass. Everyone makes mistakes in life, it just so happens that his are on the front page.

That was some expensive booty.

by BR7 on Aug 12, 2009 7:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

If this story was about Billy Gillispie 6 months ago or Calipari now, would you say "who cares?"

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on Aug 12, 2009 7:22 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

abso-freaking-lutely

all of you trying to condone it, based on “surveys” that show 35% of americans have affairs or an attitude that we “pay him to win games and he didn’t do anything illegal” make me sick. almost as sick as what coach has done. Gimel is absolutely right – you would be either (a) jumping for joy or (b) expressing that mock consternation (“I don’t like UK, but I wouldn’t want something like this to happen to them and wish ’em the best”) that we see all the time if this were Cal.

Here’s the bottom line. This is huge. Big problem. This city is full of conservative folks who won’t even be able to look at Rick straight again, much less support him in a game. our athletic dept, which has kept a loser like krag around based almost entirely on moral grounds “he’s building it the right way” is now caught in a huge pickle. recruitings going to suffer as well, though probably not as acutely.

Regardless of the outcomes though, get over yourselves. its disgusting to sit here and watch you think up excuses for a despicable act by someone we should be looking up to.

by davidson07 on Aug 12, 2009 7:32 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I understand your moral stance, and respect it

I have a different view of life— as do A LOT of others.

So take your “disgust” with me—and stick it!

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 8:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I stopped throwing rocks a long time ago

when someone broke my own glass house…

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 9:02 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Amen

by BR7 on Aug 12, 2009 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry to make you so sick.

People who presume to think and speak for me, and then accuse me of hypocrisy based upon what they’ve decided I would say and think make me a bit sick as well. So we’re pretty close to even.

Also, you need a shake a bit of your naïveté with respect to these "despicable" acts. You have no idea what the understanding between Pitino and his wife is or may be, and you certainly don’t get to step into his wife’s shoes to judge how harshly he should be treated. If we see divorce papers down the pipe, you have a point. Otherwise, you are doing more of that speaking and judging for everyone else base on facts you don’t fully know or understand.

If your hang up is solely the abortion, then I can understand why it would upset you so much. However, there are a lot of people, myself included, who don’t consider a 2-week zygote to be a human life, and the law currently backs us up (as does a significant portion of medicine). You have a right to draw that moral line wherever you please and even to judge Pitino by it, but don’t pretend that you can suggest that anyone who doesn’t find it morally reprehensible is being a hypocrite. Taint so.

Finally, there is an unfortunately shortsighted false dichotomy in your post. Our options are not either to completely condone Pitino’s actions or to fire him. We can find a path in the middle that recognizes that people have moral failings, and that while we need to set a goal of avoiding them, we also need to deal with them like adults who realize the world doesn’t work out so prettily.

by 83fan on Aug 12, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting point

However, I am genuinely uninterested in other’s people’s personal lives, so the answer is yes, I would. I really don’t care, other than the embarrasment this matter is causing the university, not to mention whether or not it could have an impact on recruiting, which I hope it doesn’t.

This is a dirty story, and there is nothing to condone whatsoever, but it is ultimately a personal matter, and Rick will continue to suffer from it personally, reputation-wise, etc.

Whomever Coaches Gillispie or Calipari sleep with is of no consequence to me.

This is just a bad, bad situation.

by BR7 on Aug 12, 2009 8:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep...

I would certainly say “Who cares?”. Your point?

Grog

"There is no OFF position to the genius switch" - D. Letterman

by GrogInOhio on Aug 12, 2009 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Me too.

Granted, I would probably enjoy making a few jokes about it, and my UK friends already have. But I wouldn’t act like this changes much about what we already knew about these three guys, or that it was much of our business.

by 83fan on Aug 12, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's be fair guys.

We’d be laughing our butts off if it came out a week ago that Calipari had had an affair and paid for an abortion, making snide remarks like “That’s what you get for hiring a sleaze like Calipari.” The UK fans are doing it now. It’s a rivalry, and that’s what we do; at least be honest about it.

On the flip side, Gimel, I certainly am not saying “who cares?” right now, because I do care. (As an aside, I also don’t lurk the UK boards to make detrimental comments to make myself feel better, but whatever.) There’s a certain moral problem with having this guy stick around, and I understand that. But by the same token, this is a public university basketball coach, not a church or religious television channel or something, and it’s hard to put my strict moral standards on him when he’s still doing his job. It’s near impossible to hold strict moral standards and draw lines these days. If you chose to only associate yourself or work with good, upstanding, non-sinners, you’d live a pretty lonely life, and that’s just the way it is. At the end of the day, I believe that God is the judge, not me. I certainly won’t want to be his friend now, nor do I feel completely comfortable with him being our coach (and ergo, may not be as upset as some here if he were to resign), but as long as he’s doing the job he was hired for, I don’t have a say in the matter.

by CARD_G6 on Aug 12, 2009 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well said.

I am probably less disturbed than you are, but this is a nice summary of where I stand in general.

by 83fan on Aug 12, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not trying to be detrimental

Just asked what the opinion would be if the rivalry situation was reversed.

by TheFakeGimelMartinez on Aug 12, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sorry folks

but this is a big deal. Huge. We will never hear the end of it. Cheating on your spouse? Some people take marriage seriously.

Go Cards!

by Red Rage on Aug 12, 2009 8:08 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Check out ESPN Sportscenter today if you get a chance for their coverage of the matter

Ouch. It is not pretty.

by BR7 on Aug 12, 2009 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

this sucks

I wont make any statement on what I feel should be done. Ill just say that Pitino has caused the University of Louisville a great deal of embarrasment. Any U of L fan that saw the sports center report should be sickened to see Pitinos face next to the U of L logo while admitting to nailing a chick in the restroom of a local restaurant. Part of being a top notch program is promoting etchics. If Pitino can conduct himself in this manner and keep it totally seperate from the university then fine. However that line has been crossed and a stand should be taken by the university. Whatever stand that is im not sure.

by lvl1 on Aug 12, 2009 8:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

"In the rest room" ???

where was that reported?

were you there with Vinny too?

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mike, not here to pour gasoline on the fire,

but just to say that there is a lot of sympathy out there right now for what you guys are going through. No one should have to see things like this associated with their program….you have my support and condolences along with a big chunk of the Big Blue Nation.

Remember, we're having fun now!!!

by ALLBLUCAT on Aug 12, 2009 9:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It's easy to say "this is a private, family matter...."

But unfortunately, it’s not. Bringing Ralph Willard to town was no accident. There will be year with this “interim” head coach and then a new hire. Rightly or wrongly, Mr. Pitino, I believe, has coached his last game at the University of Louisville. On just about every level, this sordid affair is a real shame. For Pitino, for his family, for the University, even for that unbalanced woman. This seems to be a story without any good guys.

theoldman

by theoldman on Aug 12, 2009 9:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

There has been considerable talk about Williard

being brought on for this purpose, both on the msg boards and some by national pundits.

I don’t know though, oldman. It’s not pretty no matter how you paint it…

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Frank, I would hope that I have some cred with you after a couple years of blogging,

and I AM TELLING YOU, that is NOT why Ralph is here (fact). Tom Jurich will hire the next head coach, and it will not be Ralph, and there will not be any vacancy anytime soon unless Rick himself leaves. He will not run from this town or this situation…period.

by BR7 on Aug 12, 2009 10:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That reassures me...and ties to other some big donor comments to me

by frankpos on Aug 12, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This sucks, no matter what coach, or what school, or what walk of life it occurs in

I don’t see how Rick survives this. My guess is he resigns.

First time I shot her, shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...

by btcoop71 on Aug 12, 2009 10:12 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree

he’s gone, one way or the other. Man this blows!

Go Cards!

by Red Rage on Aug 12, 2009 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

look, she wouldn’t know she was preggo 2 weeks after they had sex, which is why RP asked for a blood test had she decided to go through with the pregnancy. The woman obviously has some, ahem, issues. And RP made a BAD decision… a REAL BAD decision. Ethically, yeah… this is pretty lowbrow; but the legal issues stem from KS first getting $3K(?!?) for an abortion, then seeing that RP gave her that, upped the ante… And RP called her bluff. There will be considerable fallout from this – short/medium term, but if RP owns this, is contrite, and KS gets time for extortion… This too shall pass. I mean we ELECT people that do this shit all the f’n time.

by CardChakra on Aug 12, 2009 10:20 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

"I don’t know though, oldman. It’s not pretty no matter how you paint it…"

That’s kind of my bottom line; it’s all pretty ugly and pretty embarrassing. If he stays, it’s a sordid mess that will swirl around him, like it or not, for a year or so. If he leaves, the university is bereft of a tremendous basketball coach. Don’t know what I want to happen. Only know that I wish this whole affair hadn’t.

theoldman

by theoldman on Aug 12, 2009 10:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Slimy, sordid

Yep… it’s a slimy and sordid story. And it’s a bit clearer now why Richard left for a lateral move at Florida. But I don’t see it having any medium or long term damage to Louisville basketball. Which is of FAR greater concern to me than Rick Pitino.

Grog

"There is no OFF position to the genius switch" - D. Letterman

by GrogInOhio on Aug 12, 2009 12:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

When is the first basketball practice?

We’re going to have a great team this year. I’m moving on.

"You win some, You lose some but you never stop trying to do your best" Denny Crum

by DANCARD on Aug 12, 2009 11:05 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sad Day for UL

When you think of basketball in the South and Southeast, only a handful of schools come to mind, UNC, Duke, UK, Louisville and perhaps another school in the SEC or ACC. It’s yet another sad reminder of the arrogance gene that RP, or perhaps now RIP and virtually every other college coach has. They can make or brake a kids college career, pull their scholarships, have the least amount of interest in their academic success….all in the name of themselves and oh yeah the college. No College is immune. The pressure to win and the arrogance usually follows with the liklihood of the coach embarrassing the College. Their seems to be the belief that they can do things or get away with things simply because of who they are and that should be troubling to the schoosl but it usually isn’t. It is just a matter of time before Amazon will have to recall RP’s book titled "Success is a Choice" and re-title it; "Success is a Choice-Getting Your Freak On with a Stranger at a Restaurant Isn’t". This program doesn’t deserve this.

by CardShark on Aug 12, 2009 11:16 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Anybody else finding

it hard to work today? I don’t like this situation but I am still and will always be a die hard UofL fan regardless of who our coach is. If Pitino is the man I stand behind him. We all make mistakes and some happen to be huge. If your remorseful, God forgives you.

by tnowka on Aug 12, 2009 1:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs