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Award-winning columnist Tom Archdeacon — an old-school storyteller in a brand-new venue — writes about sports, the city, southwest Ohio and anything else that catches his fancy… or yours.Home > Blogs > Through the Arch > Archives > 2009 > August > 12 > Entry
Sex, Abortion…Trouble for Pitino
No matter how things now turn out down in Louisville, Rick Pitino is damaged goods.
In fact — in light of the story just reported by the Louisville Courier Journal (CJ) — you have to wonder if he still has a future with the Cards.
According to a story written by the CJ’s Andrew Wolfson, the married Pitino not only told police he had consensual sex with Karen Sypher — the estranged wife of his equipment manager and the woman indicted by a federal grand jury for trying to extort $10 million from the coach — at a Louisville restaurant six years ago, but that he gave her $3,000 for an abortion.
The newspaper reported that Sypher told police that Pitino raped her on two different occasions in 2003. The CJ reported her charges have not gotten much traction with authorities who have noted some discrepancies.
Prosecutors have said Pitino won’t be charged.
The Courier Journal first reported the story Tuesday night after using the Kentucky Open Records Act to obtain Louisville Metro Police reports.
Up until now there had only been speculation about what — if anything — had occurred between the two of them. And yet there was a real clue at a pro-Sypher rally outside the courthouse in May.
Initially, the Courier Journal ran a photo of four protestors holding up signs of discontent. One read “Leave Karen Sypher Alone.” Another read: “Karen Sypher is the victim.”
The sign of the fourth protestor — who later was cropped out of the picture that was published — read: “What’s the price of an abortion?”
Turns out the kid holding the sign was Sypher’s son.
Both Pitino and Sypher — who later married Tim Sypher, Pitino’s friend going back to the days when both were with the Boston Celtics and the Cards equipment manager — agree they had sex at a restaurant after it had closed for the night.
According to Pitino, he had too much to drink and couldn’t drive home so he stayed there. Later he told police Sypher drove him home. He said a couple weeks later she called to tell him she was pregnant.
She told him she was getting an abortion, but had no health care. He claimed he asked her how much it would cost and was told $3,000, which he gave to her.
Sypher disputes Pitino’s version of the story and said the coach raped her once at the restaurant and once a few weeks later at the condo of her future husband. Pitino denies that.
According to the Courier Journal, Pitino’s contract states he can be fired for cause for acts of “moral depravity” or for being dishonest with the school. It also permits him to be fired for generating negative publicity, if it is caused by his “willful conduct that could objectively be determined to bring (the) employee into public dispute or scandal, or which tends to greatly offend the public.”
Pitino has four years left on a six-year deal that with incentives, base salaries and retention bonuses is said to worth at least $23.2 million.
How this plays out with the University of Louisville hierarchy — not to mention Pitino’s wife and five kids — will be interesting.
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Comments
By Annie
August 13, 2009 5:34 PM | Link to this
Everyone involved in this is low life.By deal
August 13, 2009 8:43 AM | Link to this
Sounds like a gold digging trollop trying to get paidBy nit walker
August 13, 2009 8:40 AM | Link to this
Abortion is leagl,so what is the big dealBy b.j.
August 13, 2009 8:33 AM | Link to this
Sorry Rick, to much baggage with this story. You can not coach college boys with this over your head. If this was one fo your boys they would be off of the team and probably kicked out of the university. So resign before now befor this gets uglier.By collards
August 13, 2009 7:27 AM | Link to this
This is amazing. When pitino’s final four Providence team made it to the final four, the whole story was how he had lost his son Daniel. He became a hero and the sport’s world felt sorry for him. He started a foundation for children in need. He then felt a baby needed to be killed so he gave $3,000 to have the baby put to death. Go figureBy william
August 12, 2009 10:46 PM | Link to this
If Pitino gave her $3000 for a abortion get rid of him.By Jim
August 12, 2009 9:33 PM | Link to this
How do you rape someone at at a restaurant? Is she serious?By Larry Parsons
August 12, 2009 9:00 PM | Link to this
Nat’l Enquirer type story…impacts no one. On a 1 to a 1000 scale, this is a 1. Woman chose abortion, which is her right. Morals are already gone.By Lou
August 12, 2009 7:42 PM | Link to this
Am I the only one that: 1st She is not all that pretty 2nd What does the “chicken little” call of rape from her do for the REAL rape victims out there?By Ron
August 12, 2009 7:33 PM | Link to this
Wow, she’s got a pretty face and a hot body.By Scott
August 12, 2009 3:36 PM | Link to this
Ok if there are allegations that’s not solid proof is it? It’s an allegation. If he was convicted of rape then yes this story should receive the attention it is getting. So why don’t we wait to see how this plays out in court and pay attention to our own families instead of someone else’s for once. shrugsBy Allegations don't count???
August 12, 2009 2:52 PM | Link to this
Scott there are allegations of rape. If true that is more than just casual sex threesomes or not. Who knows why it took 6 years to come out. Was someone using there position and/or power to keep one quite. Either way it don’t look good for either of them. Are there others as have been hinted at?By Scott
August 12, 2009 2:43 PM | Link to this
@keyz and What A City: Does it matter if we ever know the truth. The only ones who should seek that are the families involved. If a parent doesn’t want to send their kid to UL then that is their choice. There are other things we should be spending time on (perhaps our own family). Who knows, there could have been a threesome involved here. I wouldn’t be surprised. People with money and influence usually live like they want. As long as they don’t kill anyone, why bother?By Both are at fault
August 12, 2009 2:34 PM | Link to this
Does it bother anyone this woman, a wife and mother herself, slept with another married man? Why is the man always the victim and the woman coddled with these cases of infidelity?? No wonder why the rest of the world hates us so much!By LJ
August 12, 2009 1:44 PM | Link to this
Doesn’t it bother anyone that this Catholic man, a father of 5, paid for an abortion?!By flipper
August 12, 2009 12:57 PM | Link to this
He’ll wiggle out of it just like Gov. Mark Sanford (SC) did. Stupid guy for messing around and stupid wife for letting off with bad behavior. If the wife did it she would be OUT and no doubt.By keyz
August 12, 2009 12:44 PM | Link to this
OMG, I wondered what the “other” side of the story was when the original stalking complaint with this woman broke a while back. Scott, there’s extortion in this unfortunately…and his ethics are truly unnerving for someone who is coaching young men. I had a kid who grad. from UK and always admired Pitino. But now…I can’t say that I really can…makes me very sad. There must be much more to this than what’s in the media…By What A City!
August 12, 2009 11:56 AM | Link to this
It’s Rick Pitino. He’s special. All high profile people are treated differently than the rest of us. This will all go away in time and in a year, won’t be talked about. This happened in 2003. Why is it just now surfacing in the media? Is her motive to extort money from him? Was it really rape or consensual? Wonder what Pitino’s wife thinks about this? How about the equipment manager? May never know the actual truth. This too, shall pass. Let’s move on.By Wildcat Fan
August 12, 2009 9:21 AM | Link to this
My, are the UK folks going to have fun with this torrid tale for a while. Can just imagine what kind of cheers and signs college students will have for Prick Pinto when he comes to town.By More allegations
August 12, 2009 8:53 AM | Link to this
On Cbs sports some posters have hinted that he did the same at Ky when coach there. Will be interesting to see if any others come forward.By More to it
August 12, 2009 8:50 AM | Link to this
Believe there is more to it than we know. Her husband worked for Rick, how much pressure was Rick and Co. putting on her to keep quite over those 6 years, if any. It kinda looks like Rick and Co put the goods out on her first to invalidate her charges. Too much we don’t know. Rick isn’t my kind of coach. UofL will protect him regardless.By albert einstein
August 12, 2009 8:37 AM | Link to this
Money grubbing wh*re didn’t get her money and now claiming she is victim. Get real…does not take Albert Einstein to see this is crap.By jack
August 12, 2009 8:03 AM | Link to this
Damn Temptress…cast thy evil spell…. who’s other souls have you swayed to hell.. Desperation in your eyes abound.. men fall victim without a sound… by Harvey FuzzyknuckleBy Scott
August 12, 2009 7:44 AM | Link to this
We have a generation of college age people dying in a sandbox, and people are paying more attention to whom is the vicitm is here. Really? Rick made a choice, a choice made while drinking (and with a good looking woman). He’s human, leave him alone. Focus on those who actually commit a crime, especially those who kill others and are still let out of jail.