NCAA accuses Louisville of four major violations in escort scandal

Louisville was issued a notice of allegations for four major violations in the school’s escort scandal.

Louisville has received a notice of allegations from the NCAA accusing the school of four major violations in connection with an escort scandal, the school announced Thursday. 

The notice comes after a nearly year-long NCAA investigation into the Cardinals program after an escort wrote a book in which she says she and other women were paid or compensated in game tickets to strip and have sex with Louisville players and recruits. You can see the full notice here. 

The four charges the NCAA makes are Level I, the highest possible level, but do not include lack of institutional control or lack of head coach control, the NCAA’s most serious charges. Head coach Rick Pitino was charged with failure to monitor former Louisville director of basketball operations Andre McGee. 

Louisville has 90 days to respond to the allegations, after which the NCAA will have 60 days to review the school’s response. 

“As parents and university leaders who care about every student who comes to the University of Louisville, we are heartbroken that inappropriate behavior took place here. It saddens us tremendously,” Louisville acting president Neville Pinto and athletic director Tom Jurich said in a joint statement. “We promised that if something was done wrong, we would be open about it, acknowledge it, and correct it.”

The Courier-Journalreported on Monday that Louisville would receive the notice this week. 

Louisville self-imposed a postseason ban last season after the scandal broke.