After an emotional news conference in which Pitino, school president James Ramsey and athletic director Tom Jurich announced the self-imposed ban, Pitino reiterated that Jurich pushed for the ban and Ramsey gave the OK.
MORE: Heinous crimes in sports | Louisville punished players, not itself
“We should be penalized, no question about it, but not this team,” Pitino told reporters, via the Courier-Journal. “But the NCAA didn’t make that decision. We made that decision.
“Something should change. People who are not involved should not be hit.”
Louisville (19-4, 8-2 ACC) sparked the attention of the NCAA for recruiting violations after an escort wrote a tell-all book saying former Louisville director of basketball operations Andre McGee paid her and other women to strip and have sex with visiting recruits during a four-year period.
The NCAA’s investigation is still ongoing.
“We should be hit with a $10–15 million fine…that’s it,” Pitino said. “The way you hurt a university, the way you hurt a coach, is with your wallet.
“My faith is in Tom Jurich,” he added. “He’s a great AD. Did he hurt us? More than [we’ll] ever know, but he is a great leader … Dr. Ramsey is taking a lot of heat right now. He doesn’t need this heat.”
