Everybody is talking about it.
And one of the things I've noticed, while reading comments posted on various social media sites, is that some seem to think this isn't that big of a deal. Or, at least, they insist what allegedly happened at Louisville happens all over this country all of the time.
Simply put, that's an insane opinion to me.
I mean, do we all understand exactly what allegedly happened at Louisville?
If not, let me state it plainly.
A member of Rick Pitino's staff allegedly purchased dancers and escorts, brought them to campus and provided them to players and recruits. That's what allegedly happened at Louisville, and that's why this is way different than former Michigan star Jalen Rose having sex on a recruiting visit two decades ago. I'm not sure why this is difficult for some to grasp.
Yes, recruits often have sex on visits -- sometimes even with dancers.
I've heard stories.
But I've never heard a story about a staff member providing prostitutes for players and recruits, and that's because, I think, this really isn't a common thing. So let's stop acting like a recruit having sex on a visit is the same thing as a staff member buying prostitutes for a recruit during a visit. Because it's not the same thing as much as it's an an apples-to-oranges comparison that totally misses the point of this entire scandal.
.....
After I wrote the lead to this column I started second-guessing myself a little and wondering if I was just being naive in stating that what allegedly happened at Louisville is rare, if not unprecedented. So I texted 10 different coaches -- head coaches and assistants at both the high-major and mid-major levels -- and asked them if they'd ever heard of anything like this.
I granted them anonymity, obviously.
I didn't ask for names or details.
I just wanted to know, in all their years of working in college basketball, if they'd ever even heard rumors about a staff member securing escorts for players and recruits.
To a man, they said ... "No."
To be clear, multiple coaches told me they've heard of assistants trying to facilitate female interaction for recruits through players or girls who are "around the program," and one coach told me he knows players "have used host money and other funds to pay for this type of entertainment." But nobody, not a single coach, said they'd ever heard of a staff member arranging anything like what Andre McGee allegedly arranged.
So I stand by what I wrote.
Yep, happens everywhere! /brule