Things at Louisville are not looking so great right now as the basketball program is coming under storm. Last week a book came out called "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen" that sheds light on some recruiting violations made back in 2013 involving paid escorts being used to help convince recruits to come to the school. One of the recruits who allegedly had escorts on his recruiting trip was JaQuan Lyle who has reportedly since confirmed as much, according to Gary Parrish of CBS Sports.
In the book Katina Powell, a self-described madam, wrote about how she took four escorts to do a show for a recruit who ended up being Lyle. The request for the escorts, she claimed, was from former Louisville staff member Andre McGee who has since left the school and not spoken publicly since the book was released. Lyle met with an NCAA investigator earlier this week where he reportedly confirmed the gist of the allegations. One source said that "he told the truth, he had to tell them or he was going to get hit with the amateurism issue on benefits," according to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
Lyle ended up committing to Louisville just a few weeks after his recruiting trip but then ended up de-committing before joining Ohio State. The Buckeyes have no concerns about Lyle's eligibility amid these allegations and they expect him to be able to play this season. Lyle was a four-star recruit out of Evansville, Indiana and ESPN had him ranked as the 42nd best player in the 2014 class.
The NCAA is now in the process of interviewing former Louisville recruits to see if there is a pattern here. Powell claims to have done 22 different shows for Cardinals players or recruits. Head coach Rick Pitino has denied any knowledge of these allegations but he could be on the hook here as this all falls under his watch. If the investigation finds that these allegations are true, Pitino could be facing a heavy suspension and the basketball program could face big sanctions.
