UofL trustee source of payments?

[Jason Puckett]

Very interesting story, and at this point, unfortunately, it wouldn't surprise me.

Grissom: Ramsey said U of L trustee was ‘cash source’ of payments in stripper scandal

However, it makes me even more glad that Boss Grissom is no longer BoT chair as his "I'm above the law" mentality was really detrimental to the university as a whole, especially his reasoning for not reporting the allegation.

I could be totally wrong, but he was the freaking CHAIR of the UofL Board of Trustees, and he wasn't obligated to report this?

It's pretty obvious from this (and other incidents) that he had/has no interest in transparency, nor the fact that, if this is true, he as a university administrator probably committed an NCAA violation himself by not reporting pertinent information to the compliance staff in the midst of a major investigation.

JP

PS...any bets or odd on who it might have allegedly been?

 

[Steelers2012]

Sounds pretty sketchy to me. To claim he knew this information for years but only chose to only bring it up in a lawsuit against Ramsey seems really shady.

 

[jalovell23]

So. would that be punishment on the school or just the person(trustee) that funded the money. hmmmmm

 

[REDFISTFURY3]

After listening to Chris Ott on the Bobby V show. I'm very skeptical of what Grissom stated seems to be some misclarification of how things were said by Grissom and the way he gave this statement . And Ramseys denial of this. Until i see some hard paper evidence and the boards trustee name it's all conjecture.

Reason why U of L should never had anyone with UK ties on it's appointed Bevin board. Nothing but a state of Ky take down of this school.

 

[valley St. Card]

Not to mention on who put Grissom on the board. I think either way Grissom is screwed. BUT if he held that info this whole time without giving to information during this whole investigation?? Think about it? I guarantee there is somebody in Frankfort that can't s**t a ring around a wash tub right now. Just my opinion.

 

[Knucklehank1]

Today it was reported by WDRB that David Grissom under oath said that then President Ramsey told him that the money for Andre McGee was provided by a university trustee. Grissom failed to act on this hugely important issue as Board Chair. Given the high profile nature of this allegation and his failure to act, I’m not sure how he can remain on the university’s board. Thoughts?

 

[jalovell23]

Today it was reported by WDRB that David Grissom under oath said that then President Ramsey told him that the money for Andre McGee was provided by a university trustee. Grissom failed to act on this hugely important issue as Board Chair. Given the high profile nature of this allegation and his failure to act, I’m not sure how he can remain on the university’s board. Thoughts?

Seems to me, that it looks like there are some corrupt individuals. NOT the school. SO............then the NCAA reverses it decision and gives UofL the championship banner back. (LOL, I can dream cant I ) : )

 

[Morgantown Card]

Between this and the sworn testimony in the FBI trial, it looks like Rick was telling the truth that he had nothing to do with this nor did he know anything about it. He still had to go, you can't have ugly, nasty, stanky, skank trick-ass ho's and then have the FBI stuff, but he wasn't lying.

 

[Knucklehank1]

Between this and the sworn testimony in the FBI trial, it looks like Rick was telling the truth that he had nothing to do with this nor did he know anything about it. He still had to go, you can't have ugly, nasty, stanky, skank trick-ass ho's and then have the FBI stuff, but he wasn't lying.

I don’t think Pitino explicitly knew all the details of the Powell stuff but not sure how this helps prove or disprove that theory. In fact it would more disprove the theory that this was just an assistant going rogue.

 

[BigBlueFanGA]

Sounds pretty sketchy to me. To claim he knew this information for years but only chose to only bring it up in a lawsuit against Ramsey seems really shady.

Ramsey sure denied it and it is odd to wait so long.

 

[ShortCreek]

Grissom’s credibility is as shaky as every individual that he railroaded out of town. He has to go.

 

[Cardinal Cash]

Can’t punish us for the strippers again. No double jeopardy. I don’t care if he’s right or wrong at this point I just want that shite to go away.

 

[zipp]

Today it was reported by WDRB that David Grissom under oath said that then President Ramsey told him that the money for Andre McGee was provided by a university trustee. Grissom failed to act on this hugely important issue as Board Chair. Given the high profile nature of this allegation and his failure to act, I’m not sure how he can remain on the university’s board. Thoughts?

Wow, you're really coming around! I'm impressed.

I don’t think Pitino explicitly knew all the details of the Powell stuff but not sure how this helps prove or disprove that theory. In fact it would more disprove the theory that this was just an assistant going rogue.

So Pitino simply needed a Trustee's $5,000? A guy who lights cigars with $20 bills?

I take back my commendations...

 

[zipp]

Can’t punish us for the strippers again. No double jeopardy. I don’t care if he’s right or wrong at this point I just want that shite to go away.

That ain't the issue...

 

[zipp]

Grissom’s credibility is as shaky as every individual that he railroaded out of town. He has to go.

Let me remind everyone that Gruesome is/was one of more than a dozen Board members. If he "railroaded" anyone--which is pretty obvious--he did it with people's blessings. IOW he ain't the only clown in the clown show even if he is the biggest and baddest. And in his wake, he will leave clowns...

 

[Knucklehank1]

Wow, you're really coming around! I'm impressed.

So Pitino simply needed a Trustee's $5,000? A guy who lights cigars with $20 bills?

I take back my commendations...

I try to stay objective and I’m comfortable calling out issues because I have no agenda to cling to. Anyways, I’ve never been a fan of Bevin’s “throwing the baby out with the bath water” approach to Board development. Just as I wasn’t a fan of a Board that rubber-stamped anything Ramsey wanted to do.

I see nothing in today’s revelations that has any effect on the Pitino case. Potentially it could be problematic for the university but it’s all hearsay legally so I don’t think it goes anywhere. Biggest implication is that it reflects really poorly on Grissom.

 

[zipp]

I try to stay objective and I’m comfortable calling out issues because I have no agenda to cling to. Anyways, I’ve never been a fan of Bevin’s “throwing the baby out with the bath water” approach to Board development. Just as I wasn’t a fan of a Board that rubber-stamped anything Ramsey wanted to do.

I see nothing in today’s revelations that has any effect on the Pitino case. Potentially it could be problematic for the university but it’s all hearsay legally so I don’t think it goes anywhere. Biggest implication is that it reflects really poorly on Grissom.

What we know today is that Gruesome violated NCAA rules, the guy mainly responsible for Pitino's ouster, by concealing a major rule violation.

And if he wasn't lying, we also know that people at the highest levels of U of L's organization conspired to violate rules that Pitino was ultimately made the scapegoat for.

If by some miracle Gruesome comes clean and says he was lying about everything, THAT'S STILL THE GUY responsible for canning Pitino. Pitino had a scumbag at the top of the organization that fired him--someone who would lie under oath--and he would have absolute proof.

BTW you now have some real evidence of a lack of institutional control unless Gruesome falls completely on his sword, i.e., says he made all of this up. Clowns are bringing you all the way down as I said they would...

 

[Knucklehank1]

A few thoughts:

Pitino was not made the scapegoat in the wake of the Powell stuff.

There is nothing actionable in today’s revelation as it pertains to Pitino’s case against UofL or as it pertains to NCAA sanctions. If Grissom has a name to drop or if Ramsey didn’t refute the claim, then maybe so.

The only person harmed by today’s revelation is Grissom. He should probably resign from the Board.

 

[zipp]

A few thoughts:

Pitino was not made the scapegoat in the wake of the Powell stuff.

There is nothing actionable in today’s revelation as it pertains to Pitino’s case against UofL or as it pertains to NCAA sanctions. If Grissom has a name to drop or if Ramsey didn’t refute the claim, then maybe so.

The only person harmed by today’s revelation is Grissom. He should probably resign from the Board.

You're missing the central issues... Pitino was fired for cause having allegedly violated the terms of his contract. Those violations concerned his subordinates violating NCAA rules, and he was deemed responsible for that.

Now we have the guy at the top of the operation violating NCAA rules by concealing violations. And those violations directly involve Pitino's senior management. Add to that the fact that this escalates the level of violation to the area of institutional control.

The Master had a good day today...

 

[gocds]

Oh but you’ve conveniently forgotten one “little” point about “dick” Pitino. All of this crap happened on his watch and that is a contractural violation by the Master (as you refer to him). A lack of institutional control is what you’d call that. I’m not so sure is day was as good as you might think it was.

GO CARDS - BEAT EVERYBODY!!! God Bless America!!!

 

[Knucklehank1]

You're missing the central issues... Pitino was fired for cause having allegedly violated the terms of his contract. Those violations concerned his subordinates violating NCAA rules, and he was deemed responsible for that.

Now we have the guy at the top of the operation violating NCAA rules by concealing violations. And those violations directly involve Pitino's senior management. Add to that the fact that this escalates the level of violation to the area of institutional control.

The Master had a good day today...

No, you are missing the central point. Pitino still had multiple incidents where he had staff members blatantly violating NCAA rules. Nothing about yesterday’s news changes that. UofL never argued that Pitino directed the payments to McGee. If it were rogue boosters going around the staff then things might be different. But the facts still remain that Pitino assembled a staff that had blatant disregard for the rules and ultimately he got burned. So time to move onto another agenda driven theory. You can take solace in how this makes Grissom look though.

 

[PushupMan]

Can’t punish us for the strippers again. No double jeopardy. I don’t care if he’s right or wrong at this point I just want that shite to go away.

Actually, they certainly can, if they want to. In light of this new information, they can open up a new investigation and/or just add this issue to the one they already have open regarding UofL’s involvement in the FBI sting as “University 6”.

What would they do as part of that investigation, you might ask? Well, for starters, interview every member of UofL’s board, both as it exists now and as it existed then, in an attempt to determine the truth of Grissom’s assertion.

You might also ask what purpose that investigation would serve, since we’ve already been punished for strippergate. Certainly, more people could be hit with show-cause penalties, and UofL’s basketball program could receive scholarship reductions and/or financial penalties. But what is usually most harmful to the program is the “cloud” of uncertainty and the negative press nationally that exists around the program while any NCAA investigation proceeds on its own intolerably slow timetable.

 

[Cardinal Cash]

Actually, they certainly can, if they want to. In light of this new information, they can open up a new investigation and/or just add this issue to the one they already have open regarding UofL’s involvement in the FBI sting as “University 6”.

What would they do as part of that investigation, you might ask? Well, for starters, interview every member of UofL’s board, both as it exists now and as it existed then, in an attempt to determine the truth of Grissom’s assertion.

You might also ask what purpose that investigation would serve, since we’ve already been punished for strippergate. Certainly, more people could be hit with show-cause penalties, and UofL’s basketball program could receive scholarship reductions and/or financial penalties. But what is usually most harmful to the program is the “cloud” of uncertainty and the negative press nationally that exists around the program while any NCAA investigation proceeds on its own intolerably slow timetable.

I have a feeling this revelation won’t go anywhere. Just a hunch, but the incoherent ramblings of a senile old man who is probably gone from the school soon doesn’t strike me as something on their radar.

 

[PushupMan]

I have a feeling this revelation won’t go anywhere. Just a hunch, but the incoherent ramblings of a senile old man who is probably gone from the school soon doesn’t strike me as something on their radar.

I hope so, but the scary part for any UofL fan is that this is pretty much the definition of “lack of institutional control”, which of course the NCAA is always very interested in. I would not bet anything I didn’t want to lose that the NCAA won’t investigate

 

[zipp]

Oh but you’ve conveniently forgotten one “little” point about “dick” Pitino. All of this crap happened on his watch and that is a contractural violation by the Master (as you refer to him). A lack of institutional control is what you’d call that. I’m not so sure is day was as good as you might think it was...

U of L has its own performance terms in that contract, it's not just about Pitino. Without reading it again, I'm pretty sure there's some general language about U of L NOT acting against Pitino in the performance of his job.

If you have his superiors violating NCAA rules related to HIS program, good luck arguing U of L lived up to the terms of its agreement...

 

[zipp]

No, you are missing the central point. Pitino still had multiple incidents where he had staff members blatantly violating NCAA rules. Nothing about yesterday’s news changes that. UofL never argued that Pitino directed the payments to McGee. If it were rogue boosters going around the staff then things might be different. But the facts still remain that Pitino assembled a staff that had blatant disregard for the rules and ultimately he got burned. So time to move onto another agenda driven theory. You can take solace in how this makes Grissom look though.

"But the facts still remain that Pitino assembled a staff that had blatant disregard for the rules and ultimately he got burned..."

That's not a violation of Pitino's contract. He didn't assemble that staff in a vacuum. Everyone knew who they were...

 

[Knucklehank1]

"But the facts still remain that Pitino assembled a staff that had blatant disregard for the rules and ultimately he got burned..."

That's not a violation of Pitino's contract. He didn't assemble that staff in a vacuum. Everyone knew who they were...

Just because others knew the staff he assembled doesn’t absolve him from scurrilous actions by those staff members. He was responsible for oversight. Unfortunately he was hanging out in Miami too much.

 

[zipp]

Just because others knew the staff he assembled doesn’t absolve him from scurrilous actions by those staff members. He was responsible for oversight. Unfortunately he was hanging out in Miami too much.

Find language for that in his contract.

If you're saying his subordinates committed violations that he was responsible for, HIS SUPERIORS were complicit in that. As I just said on the premium site, that is in all likelihood U of L violating its own terms in that same contract...

 

[Knucklehank1]

Find language for that in his contract.

If you're saying his subordinates committed violations that he was responsible for, HIS SUPERIORS were complicit in that. As I just said on the premium site, that is in all likelihood U of L violating its own terms in that same contract...

He was responsible for monitoring his program. Keep in mind he was suspended by the NCAA for not fulfilling this requirement. His superiors directing payments would be devastating for the university from an NCAA perspective but that still wouldn’t absolve him of the requirement to effectively monitor his program. Even if it did absolve him, then you’d better find which administrator directed Fair and Johnson to do what they did.

 

[zipp]

He was responsible for monitoring his program. Keep in mind he was suspended by the NCAA for not fulfilling this requirement. His superiors directing payments would be devastating for the university from an NCAA perspective but that still wouldn’t absolve him of the requirement to effectively monitor his program. Even if it did absolve him, then you’d better find which administrator director Fair and Johnson to do what they did.

In my entirely non-legal opinion, U of L senior management admitted in that deposition that it clearly interfered with Pitino performing the duties outlined in his contract, namely those around NCAA compliance which is the reason he was terminated. That's a legal issue (contract law) in the State of KY as it probably is in most states. And it doesn't matter who was lying or telling the truth.

Separately from that depo, you also need to find the specific language in his contract re. a for-cause termination that he violated. Not some general verbiage like "responsible for monitoring his program" that you wanna promote. Explicit language as you wanna rely on ain't in that contract.

LINK

 

[Knucklehank1]

In my entirely non-legal opinion, U of L senior management admitted in that deposition that it clearly interfered with Pitino performing the duties outlined in his contract, namely those around NCAA compliance which is the reason he was terminated. That's a legal issue (contract law) in the State of KY as it probably is in most states. And it doesn't matter who was lying or telling the truth.

Separately from that depo, you also need to find the specific language in his contract re. a for-cause termination that he violated. Not some general verbiage like "responsible for monitoring his program" that you wanna promote. Explicit language as you wanna rely on ain't in that contract.

LINK

There is no one to verify what Grissom said. And the purported source of the comment denies making the comment. There’s nothing there other than Grissom flopping around like a fish.

I agree there is no clause specifically related to strippers in dorms, paying off parents of athletes, etc. There are certainly broader categories that those fall under though. That’s why a large portion of Pitino’s defense is around how the firing was handled (ie 10 day notice). His defense knows that’s his best chance in arbitration.

 

[PushupMan]

There is no one to verify what Grissom said. And the purported source of the comment denies making the comment. There’s nothing there other than Grissom flopping around like a fish.

I agree there is no clause specifically related to strippers in dorms, paying off parents of athletes, etc. There are certainly broader categories that those fall under though. That’s why a large portion of Pitino’s defense is around how the firing was handled (ie 10 day notice). His defense knows that’s his best chance in arbitration.

Have to disagree with your first statement. The NCAA has a whole current BoT members they can interview, should they choose to do so. And it’s not like this was so long ago that all of the former board members have died.

 

[Knucklehank1]

Have to disagree with your first statement. The NCAA has a whole current BoT members they can interview, should they choose to do so. And it’s not like this was so long ago that all of the former board members have died.

But the payoff would’ve been by a former board member. No way any of them would talk. So the only other source would be if Ramsey told someone else on the current Board because apparently Grissom did not.

 

[HedleyLamarr]

What Grissom did here makes no sense to me, but just for pure speculations sake, what if he is using this unprovable bit as a signal to Rick that he is ready and willing to go scorched earth if Rick won’t come to a “reasonable”settlement. That presumes a lot, but it might explain why a smart guy did something that seems really stupid.

 

[PushupMan]

But the payoff would’ve been by a former board member. No way any of them would talk. So the only other source would be if Ramsey told someone else on the current Board because apparently Grissom did not.

Don’t forget that this is the NCAA we’re talking about here ... they don’t have to have proof to impose sanctions. They will just assume that the reason why any previous board members refused to talk is because Grissom was telling the truth and one of them was the source of the payments.

 

[zipp]

...what if he is using this unprovable bit as a signal to Rick that he is ready and willing to go scorched earth if Rick won’t come to a “reasonable”settlement. That presumes a lot, but it might explain why a smart guy did something that seems really stupid.

You mean scorched earth as in committing a felony crime (perjury)? "Provable" has no bearing on whether it's criminal.

He must really hate Pitino...

 

[HedleyLamarr]

You mean scorched earth as in committing a felony crime (perjury)? "Provable" has no bearing on whether it's criminal.

He must really hate Pitino...

I suppose the premise only fits if Ramsey, Jurich, Pitino, trustees, etc. were involved in recruiting skullduggery, and Grissom is signaling that he’s ready to blow the lid off if Pitino persists with his suit. That’s what I meant by scorched earth. As I said, pure speculation, and none of what has transpired makes sense to me.

 

[REDFISTFURY3]

Jonathan Blue , Jonathan Blue

 

[Myocardialinfraction]

Jonathan Blue , Jonathan Blue

Junior or Senior?

 

[Cards1261]

Can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with ZIP for once. Folks, why do you think Junior Bridgeman resigned from the board. There is no way J.B. would ever do anything but the above board way,(pun intended). Most, if not all of the trustees knew about some of these VERY SERIOUS allegations early on. It was decided to keep it ‘in the room’. The lack of institutional control issue has now gone to a completely new level. More may come out of this because IF ASKED, some of the trustees will NOT lie under oath, if it gets to that point. This WILL NOT go away, and stripping the title will seem minuscule down the road!

Gosh, I wonder what would happen if they investigated Nike.