For the last month it has been Calipari, Calipari in the bluegrass. Now Rick Pitino, one of the only coaches in America with a profile/ego to rival that of the new Big Blue coach has found himself at the center of local, and national headlines.

Not much has come out of the Derby City since the overall top seed and number one team in the nation fell to Tom Izzo and Michigan State in the elite eight. But then news came that Pitino could be heading to the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. And then on Saturday, as the city was kicking off its two-week Derby Festival with Thunder Over Louisville, came a thunderous announcement of its own that Rick Pitino was the object of an extortion attempt being investigated by the FBI.

The University of Louisville released a short statement revealing that Pitino had reported the extortion attempt to the FBI in March and that the coach intends to “vigorously defend [his] reputation and the character of [his] family against any criminal scheme to extort money.”

Pitino said in the statement he did not plan to talk about the matter but changed his mind after learning the person had gone public.

The AP is reporting that the scheme revolves around Karen Sypher, the wife of former equipment manager Tim Sypher.

First Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman stated that “according to sources close to the situation, Karen Sypher, the wife of Louisville equipment 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 Derby

These extortion charges could be the reason why Pitino’s son, Richard, would make a lateral move from Louisville’s bench to Florida’s, away from his father.

Tim Sypher himself has spoken out against his ex-wife, saying he is “devastated by the bizarre allegations that my estranged wife is making against both Coach Pitino and myself.”

Karen Sypher’s attorney, Thomas Clay, offered a somewhat bland defense of her innocence:

“There is a federal investigation going on, and there may be criminal charges placed against her as a result of what coach Pitino has brought to the attention of the FBI,” Clay said. “. . . There are no counter allegations, and as far as I am concerned this criminal investigation is going to proceed to a logical conclusion and I hope that we can put this matter behind us as quickly as possible.”

Obviously Pitino’s remarks were accompanied by statements of support from U of L President Jim Ramsey and athletic director Tom Jurich. Calls to Pitino’s attorney Steve Pence, the former lieutenant governor of Kentucky, have yet to be returned.

The most likely rumor/scenario that would make sense is that Pitino was sleeping with Karen Sypher and she was attempting to have him pay to keep her quiet. Tim Sypher worked with Pitino in Boston and followed him to Louisville. They have been “together” for 10 years in two different cities.

This story has provided tons of ammunition for Kentucky fans who still harbor ill-will towards Pitino for leaving the Cats and then taking over at Louisville. One fan on a message board even went so far as to say that “Pitino the drama queen called in the FBI to investigate why Coach Calipari is getting all of the attention! Pitino is certain it must be a criminal conspiracy; why else would he not receive all of the media affection?”

The extortion side of this at the least is a serious issue. Whether or not Pitino was nailing Sypher, I personally could careless. That is both persons personal lives and I am not concerned with what they do on their own time. It isn’t a crime to have an affair, it is to attempt and blackmail someone.

Maybe Karen Sypher did not attempt to extort money from Pitino and he is just trying to keep his name clean, either way we will know nothing until the FBI concludes their investigation and we will do our best to keep you on top of things and well informed to the situation.