I’ll leave commentating on this subject to our UofL guys, but this bears posting as soon as possible. Rick Pitino issued a statement today saying that he is being slandered and extorted. Few details or hard facts have emerged on this, so I’ll minimize the rumor mongering. Here’s what Rick Pitino said:
“My family and I were recently threatened as part of a criminal scheme to extort money. Upon receiving these threats, we reported this extortion attempt to the FBI.
“While I did not want to make this matter public, I recently learned that the individual behind this extortion attempt has already gone to the media with false, defamatory and outrageous allegations in an attempt to pressure me to cave in to this scheme.
“I want to make it clear that I intend to vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money. I am hopeful that the media and public will recognize the slanderous nature of this direct and malicious attack.
“My family and I appreciate the support we have received from Tom Jurich, Dr. James Ramsey, and the entire Louisville family. Because this is a federal criminal investigation, I cannot comment further at this time. Any inquiries should be directed to my attorney, Steve Pence.”
Truly a bizarre situation, and you would think that rumors of Pitino leaving to take a job with the Atlanta Hawks takes a back seat to this very serious matter (FBI?!?).
One Response to “C-J: “Pitino says he is target of extortion attempt””
[...] manager Tim Sypher, has tried to extort millions.” Then Pitino issued his denial of the “false, defamatory and outrageous allegations.” Karen Sypher at last year's Kentucky [...]
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