Report: Rick Pitino Is the Man the FBI Refers to as ‘Coach-2’

Coach-2 is named in relation to the FBI's charges against Adidas employees, an Atlanta sports agent and a New Jersey financial advisor.

Louisville’s Rick Pitino is the “Coach-2” referred to in a federal criminal complaint alleging corruption in college basketball, CBS News’ Dana Jacobson reports. 

Coach-2 is named in relation to the charges against Adidas executive Jim Gatto, Adidas associate Merl Code Jr., Adidas AAU employee Brad Augustine, Atlanta sports agent Christian Dawkins and New Jersey financial advisor Munish Sood. The crux of the case against the four defendants is the allegation that they conspired to pay $100,000 to a recruit. 

The recruit is identified only as “Player-10” and his school as “University-6,” but he has since been found to be Louisville freshman Brian Bowen. The head coach of University-6, referred to in the complaint as Coach-2, must be Pitino. 

The complaint alleges that Dawkins had negotiated a payment to Bowen’s family but a rival apparel company had offered more. Dawkins, in a meeting with Augustine, an undercover FBI agent and an FBI informant, said he needed to “get more” from Adidas to get Bowen to commit to Louisville. 

“Dawkins then said that he had spoken with Coach-2 about getting additional money for Player-10’s family and informed Coach-2 that ‘I need you to call Jim Gatto, who’s the head of everything’,” the complaint reads. 

Pitino did call Gatto, phone records show—twice on May 27 and once on June 1. Bowen committed to Louisville on June 3. 

Pitino was placed on unpaid leave by Louisville on Wednesday, a move that appears to be a precursor to his eventual dismissal.