Dino Gaudio Is In Very Serious Trouble

Former Wake Forest assistant and head coach, and up until recently Louisville assistant coach Dino Gaudio has been charged with attempting to extort the program.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, “[c]harging documents released Tuesday say that Gaudio on March 17, in an in-person meeting with Louisville personnel, threatened to report to the media allegations that the basketball program had violated NCAA rules in its production of recruiting videos for prospective student-athletes and in the use of its graduate assistants in practices - unless the university paid his salary an additional 17 months or an equivalent lump sum.“

We have no idea what the exact violations are but under normal circumstances it sounds pretty minor. Given Louisville’s recent problems under former coach Rick Pitino, which ultimately involved the FBI, nothing right now is minor.

You have to assume that coach Chris Mack was unimpressed and that he or someone in his office called the police. He issued this hilarious statement:

“While I cannot comment on the details or substance of the matter, I am grateful for the professionalism of members of law enforcement and the United States Attorney’s Office. The University and I were the victims of Coach Gaudio’s conduct and I will continue to fully cooperate with authorities in their investigations. We take seriously any allegation of NCAA violations within our basketball program and will work within the NCAA processes to fully review the allegations.”

Allow us to translate for the casual reader: “While I cannot comment on the details or substance of the matter, thanks to the authorities for ARRESTING THE SCUMBAG WHO TRIED TO EXTORT ME AND MY PROGRAM AND THAT’S MY COMMENT. NEVER MESS WITH ME AGAIN GAUDIO. As for the NCAA stuff, eh, whatever. At least I’m not facing federal prison like that schmuck is.”

Mack and Gaudio were both on Skip Prosser’s staff at Wake Forest.