In a hastily assembled press conference on Friday night, the lawyer for a former University of Louisville basketball staffer slammed a new book filled with salacious allegations that the staffer paid thousands of dollars for prostitutes to have sexual encounters with U of L players and recruits.
Scott Cox, a well-known attorney in Louisville, said his client, U of L's ex-director of basketball operations Andre McGee, "has never supplied a prostitute or escort to a player or recruit at the University of Louisville" and that he denies the explosive accusations in "Breaking Cardinal Rules," a new book written by Louisville-based escort Katina Powell that is due out in the coming days.
McGee, who is now an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, spent four years as a program assistant and then director of operations after a brief professional hoops career in Europe. He played for coach Rick Pitino and Louisville from 2005-09.
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USA TODAY
Book claims U of L arranged for prostitutes
He was placed on administrative leave at UMKC as a private investigator, hired by U of L, looks into the allegations in coordination with the NCAA.
"He loves the University of Louisville and would not do anything to hurt the image of the university," Cox said.
Cox said McGee retained him and partner Michael Mazzoli about two weeks ago. U of L first learned of Powell's book in late August, when an Indiana University booster, Mickey Maurer, who is also the chairman of the company publishing the book, contacted an IU administrator about a photo Powell had.
Pitino said he learned about the book through former players who'd been contacted by the book's authors. Powell wrote the book with journalist Dick Cady.
Cox did confirm that McGee has met Powell before, but he said "there was certainly nothing nefarious or inappropriate at all" about their interactions.