The Louisville Cardinals have to pay a fine but on top of that, the men’s basketball team will be forced to vacate all wins from the 2011-15 academic years in which ineligible student-athletes played in games. That also includes their 2013 National Championship and their four NCAA tournament appearances in that time.
The NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee ruling on Tuesday afternoon determined Louisville’s punishment. The school must also pay back money received from appearing in the NCAA tournament each year from 2012-15.
Former Louisville head coach Rick Pitino failed to properly monitor the actions of Andre McGee, who arranged for stripteases and sex acts for potential recruits as an assistant on the coaching staff, according to a previous ruling by the NCAA infractions committee. Louisville attempted to appeal this decision by the NCAA.
Following comes from Mark Schlabach of ESPN.
The Louisville men’s basketball program will have to vacate its 2013 national championship and 2012 Final Four appearance after the NCAA denied its appeal of what the school described as “draconian penalties” levied against the team last year.
The NCAA announced its ruling Tuesday.
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The Cardinals will become the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball program to vacate a national title during the Final Four era, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“We’ll remove the official recognition, but it won’t remove it from our hearts and minds,” Louisville interim athletics director Vince Tyra said during a news conference held shortly after the NCAA’s announcement. “It brings closure to one of these situations. It’s not going to bring closure to the successes and memories our teams had. I’m sad for our players and certainly our staff members.”
According to Jeff Greer of the Courier-Journal, Louisville interim president Greg Postel issued a statement after Tuesday’s ruling stating that he strongly disagreed with the decision made by the appeals committee.
Greg Postel’s written statement: pic.twitter.com/3IYBbtoXGC
— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) February 20, 2018
Former Louisville Cardinals guard Kevin Ware, who was on the team during that championship run but suffered a gruesome leg injury in their title chase, reacted to the punishment on twitter.
Still got this fat ass ring which means my guys definitely won a chip, if I’m not mistaken of course.
— Kevin Ware (@AirWare5) February 20, 2018
Louisville won at least 27 games in each of the four seasons from 2011-15. The 2012-13 Cardinals team defeated the Michigan Wolverines 82-76 in the national championship game.
Pitino and former athletic director Tom Jurich were both fired by the university in October following a new investigation in which the Cardinals basketball program was connected to paying agents for top prospects to attend the university. Pitino denies the allegations vehemiently.
