Fearful that their self-imposed post season ban for this year may have not been enough to appease the NCAA, Louisville announced additional self-imposed sanctions. Louisville is hoping sitting out post season play this year as well as these new sanctions (which don’t include any further post season ban) will ultimately be deemed suffice self punishment before the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions investigating the Louisville’s escort scandal is completed and a formal Notice of Allegations is officially brought forth upon the program by the committee.
In the newest line of self-imposed sanctions, the Cardinals will take away one scholarship for the 2017-18 season and another in the 2018-19 season while taking away “24 percent” of its recruiting days away for the 2016 period, which amounts to 30 total days away from its staff. The third part of the self-imposed sanctions also includes a reduction in official visits for recruits from two to one for next season and the season after. Louisville states that these measures are “consistent with NCAA legislation.” According to NCAA rules, specific details and comments on the case on behalf of Louisville cannot be made until the investigation is completed.
The NCAA will reportedly be meeting with Rick Pitino for the first time later this month and while the post season ban and these recruiting sanctions are significant, it remains to be seen if Pitino will survive this scandal or if Louisville will find themselves with additional years of ineligibility for post season play when the NCAA does complete their investigation.
Regardless of how this shakes out, the recruiting sanctions, Pitino’s job being in limbo, and the cloud of further penalties may prove to be a crippling short term blow to one of the best programs in college basketball.
