Rick Pitino says allegations ‘come as a complete shock to me’

University of Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino said Tuesday night that allegations of cheating raised against his program amid a federal investigation “come as a complete shock to me.”

Pitino released a statement through his attorney, according to a report by WDRB.com in Louisville, that addressed Tuesday’s announcement of a federal investigation into college basketball corruption.

“These allegations come as a complete shock to me.” Pitino said, according to WDRB. “If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorneys Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

Louisville is not specifically named in any of the federal documents — and no coaches or officials directly employed by U of L have been charged with any crimes — but the Cardinals’ basketball program is clearly “University-6” in the federal documents.

Click here for more details about the investigation and how Louisville is apparently implicated.

Click here to read Herald-Leader columnist John Clay’s opinion on the scandal.

This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 7:24 PM with the headline "Rick Pitino says allegations ‘come as a complete shock to me’."