Former Louisville Cardinals basketball players, recruits acknowledge stripper parties at Minardi Hall
Five ex-Louisville basketball players and recruits told OTL of parties at a dorm from 2010 to '14 that included strippers paid for by the team's graduate assistant coach.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Five former University of Louisville basketball players and recruits told Outside the Lines that they attended parties at a campus dorm from 2010 to 2014 that included strippers paid for by the team's former graduate assistant coach, Andre McGee.
One of the former players said he had sex with a dancer after McGee paid her. Each of the players and recruits attended different parties at Billy Minardi Hall, where dancers, many of whom stripped naked, were present. Three of the five players said they attended parties as recruits and also when they played for Louisville.
Said one of the recruits, who ultimately signed to play elsewhere: "I knew they weren't college girls. It was crazy. It was like I was in a strip club."
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A book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," published this month by self-described former escort Katina Powell, 42, details nearly two dozen stripping and sex parties from 2010 to 2014 inside Billy Minardi Hall, the on-campus dorm for athletes and other students named for Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino's late brother-in-law. Powell, who first spoke to Indianapolis Business Journal Book Publishing, has said that McGee arranged the parties and paid her $10,000 for supplying dancers during the time period.
Powell told Outside the Lines in an extensive interview that McGee also supplied cash for "side deals," which included sex with some recruits, guardians who accompanied them on visits and some Louisville players.
The former player who said he had sex with a dancer told Outside the Lines that McGee provided him with one-dollar bills to tip dancers and paid for one of the dancers to have sex with the player in a separate room. One of the other former players, who said he attended the parties as a recruit and player, said McGee "would give us the money, just the recruits. A bunch of us were sitting there while they danced. Then the players left, and the recruits chose which one [of the dancers] they wanted."
"I don't know if any of this is true or not," Pitino told ESPN's Dana O'Neil and Yahoo! Sports in a conference call Tuesday. "There's only one person who knows the truth, and he needs to come out and tell the truth to his teammates, to the University of Louisville, to his fans and to his coaches that have taught him to do the right thing for years and allowed him to be part of something special here."
McGee, who declined to comment, left Louisville in 2014 and is an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is on administrative leave with pay while the school conducts a review. The NCAA and Louisville also are investigating.
Katina Powell, a self-described former escort, details nearly two dozen stripping and sex parties from 2010 to 2014 inside Billy Minardi Hall, Louisville's on-campus dorm for athletes and other students. ESPN
"He's the only one with any answers," Pitino told ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. "Whether it's true or not, I don't know. I spoke to my nephew who lived in Minardi Hall, lived in the dorm, and he said he never saw anything the entire time he lived there. Obviously by what people are saying, something did go on, but there's only one person who knows the truth.
"Everything else is absurd. I don't care about the legal issues. If he's done something wrong, he has to own up to it and do his penance.
A Louisville spokesperson told ESPN that Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said, "Coach Pitino has no plans to step down and he absolutely didn't know about the allegations." The spokesman said Jurich would not be commenting further.
"To preserve the integrity of the review process, the university will withhold comment on any details until the review is concluded," the school said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.
Pitino's son, Minnesota coach Richard Pitino, told ESPN on Tuesday morning, "I can say 100 percent sure, with zero doubt, that [Rick Pitino] knew nothing about any of these alleged incidents."
Rick Pitino told ESPN earlier this month he has denied having any knowledge of the parties: "Not myself, not one player, not one trainer, not one assistant, not one person knew anything about any of this," the Hall of Fame coach said. "If anyone did, it would have been stopped on a dime. Not one person knew anything about it."
All five of the ex-players or recruits who spoke with Outside the Lines did so on the condition of anonymity, citing a fear of retribution from Louisville fans, players and coaches.
Outside the Lines reviewed Powell's journals, text messages and phone records and independently confirmed that text messages sent to Powell to arrange the parties came from McGee's cellphone. Further, Outside the Lines has independently confirmed a wire transfer of $200 from McGee to Powell on one occasion.
Powell said she put in a call to an NCAA representative in the past but that the person hung up on her. An NCAA spokesperson on Tuesday wouldn't confirm or deny Powell's claim, but the spokesperson told ESPN, "As with any potential rule violation, we welcome a conversation with anyone who has information."
Powell's attorneys are scheduled to meet with the University of Louisville's general counsel Tuesday afternoon.
"I couldn't make this up if I wanted to," Powell told Outside the Lines. "I have no reason, or have the need, to lie on anyone. Everything I'm saying is 100 percent the truth."
She said McGee spoke often about needing to put Louisville in a position to sign the recruits: "He always said his job was on the line. And you could tell he was serious about it when he said it."
Powell said she kept phone records, texts and detailed journals of the events, "because I knew that this day would come, and I knew that one day they would say, 'She's lying.'"
Powell said she asked McGee whether Pitino knew about the parties: "I said, 'Does Pitino know about this?' And he said, 'He's Rick. He knows about everything.'"
While Powell said she has no firsthand knowledge that Pitino knew about the parties, she finds it hard to believe he wouldn't have: "Four years, a boatload of recruits, a boatload of dancers, loud music, alcohol, security, cameras, basketball players who came in [to the dorm] at will ... "
Powell said she was first introduced to McGee by a mutual friend who owns a Louisville barbershop. It was that person, Powell said, who organized the first two shows at Minardi Hall.
"I hired her for a few bachelor parties and that's it," the man said when reached by Outside the Lines. When asked if he ever organized parties at Minardi Hall, he said, "No, sir," and hung up the phone.
Billy Minardi Hall is named for Louisville basketball head coach Rick Pitino's late brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. University of Louisville/Collegiate Images/Getty Images
It was during the second show at the dorm, Powell said, that McGee brought up the possibility of sex.
"He asked me, 'Is there any girls that want to make extra money,' pretty much a side deal with the players. ... So I asked the girls and their eyes lit up like, 'Well, yeah,'" Powell said. "... 'Side deals' were sex, and if they [the dancers] wanted to make extra money, that's what the 'side deal' was, sex...."
Five ex-Louisville basketball players and recruits told OTL of parties at a dorm from 2010 to '14 that included strippers paid for by the team's graduate assistant coach.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Five former University of Louisville basketball players and recruits told Outside the Lines that they attended parties at a campus dorm from 2010 to 2014 that included strippers paid for by the team's former graduate assistant coach, Andre McGee.
One of the former players said he had sex with a dancer after McGee paid her. Each of the players and recruits attended different parties at Billy Minardi Hall, where dancers, many of whom stripped naked, were present. Three of the five players said they attended parties as recruits and also when they played for Louisville.
Said one of the recruits, who ultimately signed to play elsewhere: "I knew they weren't college girls. It was crazy. It was like I was in a strip club."
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Pitino says ex-staffer must step up, 'tell the truth'
Louisville coach Rick Pitino wants former graduate assistant coach Andre McGee to "come out and tell the truth" in the face of allegations about strippers and sex parties on campus.
Stevens saddened by Louisville allegations involving two Boston rookies
In a new book, both Jordan Mickey and Terry Rozier are alleged to have had sex with escorts during recruiting visits to Louisville.
A book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," published this month by self-described former escort Katina Powell, 42, details nearly two dozen stripping and sex parties from 2010 to 2014 inside Billy Minardi Hall, the on-campus dorm for athletes and other students named for Louisville men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino's late brother-in-law. Powell, who first spoke to Indianapolis Business Journal Book Publishing, has said that McGee arranged the parties and paid her $10,000 for supplying dancers during the time period.
Powell told Outside the Lines in an extensive interview that McGee also supplied cash for "side deals," which included sex with some recruits, guardians who accompanied them on visits and some Louisville players.
The former player who said he had sex with a dancer told Outside the Lines that McGee provided him with one-dollar bills to tip dancers and paid for one of the dancers to have sex with the player in a separate room. One of the other former players, who said he attended the parties as a recruit and player, said McGee "would give us the money, just the recruits. A bunch of us were sitting there while they danced. Then the players left, and the recruits chose which one [of the dancers] they wanted."
"I don't know if any of this is true or not," Pitino told ESPN's Dana O'Neil and Yahoo! Sports in a conference call Tuesday. "There's only one person who knows the truth, and he needs to come out and tell the truth to his teammates, to the University of Louisville, to his fans and to his coaches that have taught him to do the right thing for years and allowed him to be part of something special here."
McGee, who declined to comment, left Louisville in 2014 and is an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He is on administrative leave with pay while the school conducts a review. The NCAA and Louisville also are investigating.
Katina Powell, a self-described former escort, details nearly two dozen stripping and sex parties from 2010 to 2014 inside Billy Minardi Hall, Louisville's on-campus dorm for athletes and other students. ESPN
"He's the only one with any answers," Pitino told ESPN and Yahoo! Sports. "Whether it's true or not, I don't know. I spoke to my nephew who lived in Minardi Hall, lived in the dorm, and he said he never saw anything the entire time he lived there. Obviously by what people are saying, something did go on, but there's only one person who knows the truth.
"Everything else is absurd. I don't care about the legal issues. If he's done something wrong, he has to own up to it and do his penance.
A Louisville spokesperson told ESPN that Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich said, "Coach Pitino has no plans to step down and he absolutely didn't know about the allegations." The spokesman said Jurich would not be commenting further.
"To preserve the integrity of the review process, the university will withhold comment on any details until the review is concluded," the school said in a statement issued Tuesday morning.
Pitino's son, Minnesota coach Richard Pitino, told ESPN on Tuesday morning, "I can say 100 percent sure, with zero doubt, that [Rick Pitino] knew nothing about any of these alleged incidents."
Rick Pitino told ESPN earlier this month he has denied having any knowledge of the parties: "Not myself, not one player, not one trainer, not one assistant, not one person knew anything about any of this," the Hall of Fame coach said. "If anyone did, it would have been stopped on a dime. Not one person knew anything about it."
All five of the ex-players or recruits who spoke with Outside the Lines did so on the condition of anonymity, citing a fear of retribution from Louisville fans, players and coaches.
Outside the Lines reviewed Powell's journals, text messages and phone records and independently confirmed that text messages sent to Powell to arrange the parties came from McGee's cellphone. Further, Outside the Lines has independently confirmed a wire transfer of $200 from McGee to Powell on one occasion.
Powell said she put in a call to an NCAA representative in the past but that the person hung up on her. An NCAA spokesperson on Tuesday wouldn't confirm or deny Powell's claim, but the spokesperson told ESPN, "As with any potential rule violation, we welcome a conversation with anyone who has information."
Powell's attorneys are scheduled to meet with the University of Louisville's general counsel Tuesday afternoon.
"I couldn't make this up if I wanted to," Powell told Outside the Lines. "I have no reason, or have the need, to lie on anyone. Everything I'm saying is 100 percent the truth."
She said McGee spoke often about needing to put Louisville in a position to sign the recruits: "He always said his job was on the line. And you could tell he was serious about it when he said it."
Powell said she kept phone records, texts and detailed journals of the events, "because I knew that this day would come, and I knew that one day they would say, 'She's lying.'"
Powell said she asked McGee whether Pitino knew about the parties: "I said, 'Does Pitino know about this?' And he said, 'He's Rick. He knows about everything.'"
While Powell said she has no firsthand knowledge that Pitino knew about the parties, she finds it hard to believe he wouldn't have: "Four years, a boatload of recruits, a boatload of dancers, loud music, alcohol, security, cameras, basketball players who came in [to the dorm] at will ... "
Powell said she was first introduced to McGee by a mutual friend who owns a Louisville barbershop. It was that person, Powell said, who organized the first two shows at Minardi Hall.
"I hired her for a few bachelor parties and that's it," the man said when reached by Outside the Lines. When asked if he ever organized parties at Minardi Hall, he said, "No, sir," and hung up the phone.
Billy Minardi Hall is named for Louisville basketball head coach Rick Pitino's late brother-in-law, who died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. University of Louisville/Collegiate Images/Getty Images
It was during the second show at the dorm, Powell said, that McGee brought up the possibility of sex.
"He asked me, 'Is there any girls that want to make extra money,' pretty much a side deal with the players. ... So I asked the girls and their eyes lit up like, 'Well, yeah,'" Powell said. "... 'Side deals' were sex, and if they [the dancers] wanted to make extra money, that's what the 'side deal' was, sex...."
