The NCAA announced it has upheld the penalties it imposed upon the University of Louisville for the StripperGate scandal that came to light in recent years. This means the men’s basketball program will vacate its wins, records from the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years, including its NCAA Championship banner from 2013.
“Louisville must vacate men’s basketball records in which student-athletes competed while ineligible during the 2011-12 through 2014-15 academic years according to a decision issued by the NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee. The appeals committee also upheld the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions penalty that requires the university to return to the NCAA money received through conference revenue sharing for its appearances in the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championships.”
The panel that made this judgement found that the former Louisville director of basketball operations “acted unethically when he committed serious violations by arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others, and did not cooperate with the investigation.”
Before being fired, Rick Pitino had argued that the penalties assessed against his former program were excessive. That’s the same argument the university made in the appeal hearing, but it’s one the panel obviously has rejected.