Looks like there was at least a bit of smoke to the Pitino fire, as the coach has confessed to consensual sex and paying for an abortion for the woman who has been accused of attempting to extort millions from the Louisville coach.
Apparently the two hooked up after closing in an Italian restaurant called Porcini's. Excuse us for pointing it out, but there are a couple of odd thing here, not to say that they support Ms. Cunagin Sypher's case. But they are a bit odd.
First, is this Pitino's restaurant? He owned one in Lexington, remember. We ask because who leaves their restaurant with a couple of customers still inside?
As it turns out, it's not: it's owned by a guy named Tim Coury who gave Pitino the keys and asked him to lock up.
And second, Pitino's executive assistant, a character named Vinny Tatum, apparently was there also, and Pitino and Cunagin Sypher say they didn't realize he was there. But Pitino also said that he was the designated driver. So which is it?
And just as a side note, Tatum says he laid down and while he heard people "enjoying themselves," he says he didn't actually see anything. So while the case against the accuser appears to have some merit, there is something odd here: they didn't realize the designated driver was there, even though he came specifically so that Pitino could drink without worrying, they had sex in a restaurant after the owner and last employees left - and neither realized Tatum was there? Cunagin Sypher says she didn't realize for a year that he was there. And didn't Pitino wonder where his designated driver went? Did they lock him in when they left?
Somebody is clearly not telling the truth here. And it could be any of the three, or any combination of the three.
The accusation that Pitino raped her at Tim Sypher's condo while Sypher was upstairs (this was before they married) is weird, too. The fact that Pitino was in California makes the accusation impossible, assuming the dates were correct, but it would be the second rape committed by Pitino with a witness in earshot.
For Pitino, there may be questions, but there are no charges. He may not take much comfort from the statement of Louisville President James Ramsey, who issued a statement saying â[s]everal months ago Coach Pitino informed me about the alleged extortion attempt. I've now been informed that there may be other details which, if true, I find surprising. My thoughts are with Coach Pitino and his family.â
When you are involved in a criminal case, even just as a witness, and your boss thought you were upfront about it, the last thing he wants is to be surprised.
So while Pitino has to explain this to his bosses, he also has to explain to his wife, his priest, and to get ready for his final repudation at Rupp, where he was once a god but will surely be ridiculed in ways he never expected.
Kentucky fans are gleeful for the most part, if this board is any indication. Louisville fans are also not happy.
