The accusations aimed the University of Louisville basketball program couldn’t be much worse. Five former players or recruits have told ESPN they attended stripper parties at Minardi Hall, with one of them saying sex was involved.

More damage, this time from a whirlwind media tour for the principals behind the book, Breaking Cardinal Rules. Katina Powell is working hard to destroy Andre McGee and make some money. The publishing company is trying to sell a book. ESPN is humoring them, as are some shows on other networks. UofL’s radio partner, 93.9 The Ville, is devoting a full day of programming to the topic.UofL flag

The low point may have been three female WHAS-11 reporters clucking about the scandal on the noon news, as if they had some inside scoop, basing their comments on the accusations of the prostitute.

Powell has already succeeded in damaging McGee’s reputation. But unless she received an advance from the publisher, she won’t be making much money. Neither will the publisher because the book, from all accounts, is poorly documented and badly written, with a sorry script.

Sorry guys, this is just not titillating enough.  The media will move on during the next news cycle, and the books will still be collecting dust on the shelves.

She was apparently hurting after McGee finally cut her off in 2014, a while after leaving for an assistant’s job at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. We are left to conclude that she was upset over the loss of a source of income. And that nobody at Minardi Hall wanted her and the girls around. Why else would she be so vindictive?

Powell is enjoying the limelight, that’s why. She may be an aging prostitute but right now she’s getting national TV exposure and lots of name recognition. She couldn’t be happier, especially with McGee hiding behind a lawyer. Inevitably she will self-destruct and fade into the woodwork.

The lasting lesson is that the mess demonstrates how easy it is for one or two irresponsible individuals to sully the reputation of the people around them, including the good name of a major institution. A point of pride for fans had been UofL’s almost flawless record of compliance with NCAA rules over two decades. That’s gone now, leaving the school with some ugly scabs that will take a long time to heal while leaving some permanent scars.

Share this

By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.

3 thoughts on “Media blitz for Katina Powell book peaking”
  1. The TRUTH behind the scenes that ALL athletes should know- the article:
    Lamar Odom, Trick Rolling, Broke Athletes And Entertainers

    1) Get ready for Gloria Allred press conference about…
    2) The lawsuits for exploiting these VIRGIN girls

  2. Spot on, Charlie. With this coming from a career communications specialist, we, the fans, should give your thoughts considerable weight.

    P.S. – God bless Frankie Hughes for bringing a little brightness to Coach, the team, the school and the fans on one of our darkest days by holding a press conference and committing to be a Cardinal! In your face, Katina!!

    1. Tom, this day was predictable and shouldn’t have surprised anyone. The puzzling thing is why ESPN would have its report on the same day as the media blitz kick off. Or maybe the book publisher knew this was coming and timed the media tour to coincide with it. If McGee was still coordinating hookers with someone on staff after he left for Kansas City, his contact will probably be revealed soon, launching another round of media hysteria. We need to get that out of the way before the media loses interest. Then we can wait months for the NCAA to finally do its thing.

Comments are closed.