Matt Jones joins ESPN panelists talking about UofL sex claims

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - The alleged sex scandal unfolding at the University of Louisville was the subject of ESPN's popular investigative show "Outside The Lines" on Monday.

Host Bob Ley welcomed ESPN basketball personalities Andy Katz and Seth Greenberg, as well as Kentucky Sports Radio founder Matt Jones.

Each weighed in on the bombshell revelations that just went public Friday, hours before local high school dropout-turned-self-proclaimed-madam Katina Powell released her tell-all memoir.

Powell claims she was paid to arrange escorts for sex with UofL basketball players and recruits more than 20 times over several years.

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Greenberg, a former coach who's now a college basketball analyst at ESPN, said he thinks UofL Coach Rick Pitino was genuine at his news conference Friday in which he declared having no knowledge of Powell's business, despite her claims to the contrary.

"I can't imagine a scenario where Rick Pitino would stand up in front of a press conference and have knowledge of this," Greenberg said.

Powell said she worked in tandem with Andre McGee, a former player and assistant coach under Pitino in recent years.

"I don't think that Rick Pitino was privy to the information if it was happening," Greenberg said.

Jones said about 80 percent of his callers on Monday's radio show were the typical UK crowd, but the others were UofL fans voicing their displeasure.

"(They said), 'We're sort of tired of this,'" Jones said. "This is an athletic department that's had some issues. A large percentage of that fan base (is asking), 'Can we stop having these things come up?'"

Jones added that he read Powell's book over the weekend, acknowledging there could have been some embellishments and false reports, "but there has to be some core of truth."

Katz cited recent examples in which college coaches have been penalized for various infractions, but the allegations against UofL could cause far more damage.

"This would be more of a lack of institutional control," he said. "This involves much more than just the head coach. The NCAA, if there's truth there, could really hammer them in terms of institutional control."

Katz also said he thought the relationship between Pitino and Tom Jurich is one of the strongest in the country between a coach and an athletic director. So strong that Pitino would know not to hang around long enough to be fired if the scandal worsens.

"(Pitino) has a lot of equity there, but Louisville will not have to ask him to leave," Katz said. "I could see Rick resigning before the university asks him to leave."

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