Karen Sypher is the one on trial, officially.
But other than a prison sentence, she doesn’t have much to lose. Her reputation was soiled a long time ago. Even people who blame her accuser for allowing himself to be seduced have a difficult time giving Sypher any respect.
The allegations against Sypher and the activities in which Rick Pitino was involved have been hashed and rehashed. Time had softened the initial shock of having a University of Louisville coach involved in the sordid affair.
As the trial nears the halfway point, the wounds have been re-opened, exposing the raw and sensitive nerve endings.
While the federal government portrays Pitino as the victim, he is very much on trial in the arena of public opinion. All the ugliness came spewing out during the first week. The details of how Pitino reacted to her demands are not gaining him much sympathy.
There will be no happy ending, whether Sypher is convicted or not. She may want to be the leading lady, but she will always play only a supporting role in the retelling of this drama.
Pitino has already apologized once to his family, the university, the community and his team. But that was a year ago — a long, long time ago, with all these new details staring us in the face. He will be compelled to apologize all over again when this trial finally concludes.
That’s unfortunate because Karen Sypher will never apologize to anyone.
Well – hopefully this puts her goals to rest.
Verdict in. Sypher guilty on all counts.
TOM – I agree with you. Everyone who is involved with Karen Sypher case – will have to give themselves a pep talk in the mirror before they leave their home each morning for awhile. Pitino- you can bet is working on a strategy for this dilemma. The thing is he is a womanizer and kept under the radar for a long time. This trial change all that. He is a man with a weakness and it caught up with him – thanks of course to a woman who manized her way through life. It is not about his coaching it was a private matter magnified more than it should have ever been magnified. He is good coach – the personal and professional can be separated to a degree. This whole thing reminds of the “Scarlet Letter” – Hawthorne’s book
There is no question that the TV coverage of the trial did drag the University’s Basketball program through the mud.
College athletics are supposed to help shape the lives of young people by teaching them to make wise decisions and by helping them establish character values.
Every coach has to give the players the famous “You Live in a Fish Bowl” speech or the “Life in the Spotlight” talk. All I want anyone to do is to explain to me how that is going to work in our Men’s Basketball Program.
If Jurich needs to reprimand Rick for his behavior, then that is the way it is. I have a feeling Pitino will come out with a statement after judgement has been rendered that will basically suffice as probation and punishment put upon him by him…and with the backing of Jurich and Ramsey.
Let’s just get this trial over with and get back to defending our 8th place ranking in football and our 14-18 UofL Lady Cards season from last year. 2010-11 is going to be a dramatic improvement in both areas.
Rick didn’t break no law, he got caught or should I say set up, by someone who either wanted him, or his money. I don’t condone what Rick did. But he broke no laws. Hell if all companies were to punish every man that had an affair or fired them, there should would be a lot of job openings out there. We should not judge Rick and his personal life. These are adults that he coaches. Some even have children and are married that go to college and play sports. Let’s focus are what she has done, she is on trial. Again I don’t condone what he did, but he broke no laws. As a friend of mine that lives in Calif. said hell it is no big deal out west when we get tidbits of the story, the reason it is so big there is it is something the Cat fans can thrive on. They just want Pitino to fail because he is at U of L … Period!!
It’s not like it was when we grew up, that’s for sure.
Bottom line – Pitino brings money into the program.
Jurich knows this – Pitino knows this – card fans know this. Is money earned – redemption?
Completely agree with gentlejohn. If the university remains silent, what kind of message will that send to our student athletes and the rest of the city? That it is ok to live without morals and values as long as you are good at what you do? Sorry, but I don’t buy that. By remaining silent on this, Jurich is showing he is no better than the losers down the road in hiring a known cheater. Do what it takes to win, no matter what.
I know that no one in this life is perfect, and I’m a firm believer in second chances. Pitino definitely deserves one. However, I think Jurich should put him on probation. Basically say, if you step out of line again, you’re done.
People may disagree with punishment, but I wonder if they would feel the same if he weren’t a future HOF coach with a stellar recruiting class lined up in 2011.
GO CARDS!
Can anyone name a replacement for OUR coach?
He did pay for the abortion – or medical procedure – however Pitino wishes to dance around it. He paid for it…
reasonable doubt? Perhaps… because he was involved or participated in something that had repercussions. What about urine and blood tests? Blood test tend to be more sensitive and can detect pregnancy within 2 weeks. HCG levels…
A condom could have lowered the pregnancy issue – but Rick just didn’t come prepared. Karen I know is no saint. It is a sad mess that is humiliating.
Lori, as I wrote in my own blog on 8/17/09,
“The chronology, however, raises many eyebrows, including mine. Pitino and Sypher had sex on Aug. 1; she had an ultrasound exam to confirm the pregnancy on Aug. 26, and an abortion three days later — four weeks to the day from the sexual encounter that purportedly led to conception.
“From all I’ve been able to uncover, though, it generally takes four to five weeks before ultrasound will confirm pregnancy; it takes that long before the gestational sac will show up in the image of the uterus. On this timetable, though Sypher’s pregnancy was confirmed, Pitino’s responsibility for it remains a matter of reasonable doubt.”
This information coming from the son of a respected doctor.
Paul – I understand what you are saying. However, it just wasn’t a one night affair – 15 second or whatever – she was pregnant and he arranged for an abortion drive out of town.
His coaching is good – however, Pitino is in alot of hot water with these details -People get real judgmental on morals – sad to say.
Karen is making this guy pay with everything she’s got and frankly it is uglier than ever. If she succeeds in court – can you imagine other people that could step forward against this guy – Pitino has a large target on his back.
The University of Louisville hired Rick Pitino to coach their men’s basketball team. The idea was to pick the Cards basketball team back up to a higher national level after the last several yeard of the Crum regime.
What Pitino has done in his personal life, although compelling and tawdry in some aspects, has nothing to do with how well or badly he coaches the players under scholarship to perform for him and the University of Louisville.
We frown on the morals of cheating on one’s spouse in this society. It does not translate into him being a poor coach, however. If he is to leave UofL, this trial should not be the reason. It should be because his cannot get the job done to the satisfaction of the athletic director or he decides to retire or take another job.
This is the United States vs. Rick Pitino? Of course not. It is the United States vs. Karen Sypher. Based on the stories we have heard so far about how she has conducted her personal life over the last ten years…she is a habitual and chronic grifter and schemer.
Rick Pitino is merely a sap who stepped outside his bounds as a faithful husband and used poor judgement. Question his morality if you must but don’t translate that into a judgement on how he performs his basketball duties. He’s still one of the best in college basketball.
I didn’t mean to suggest that Rick be fired–not even close.
BUT—consider what happens to a student athlete when he smacks his girlfriend’s father in the face, or sells his student tickets, or gets into a fight at a late-night dive. The athlete’s behavior, even though not on the court or on the field, brings on some punishment as decided on by the athletic administration.
What I AM suggesting here is that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. I will be quite disappointed in Tom if he doesn’t mete out some action, even if it is more symbolic than anything else.
Well, maybe he was thinking about extending the contract eight years but cut it off at seven. Is that symbolic enough? 🙂
And just what would you have Tom Jurich do? Recommend Rick attend sexual morality classes? Have the coach sit out games when Louisville plays Catholic colleges and universities? Spend time reflecting with the monks in solitude?
Since we’re on the subject of infidelity…should the PGA have slapped some punishment or sanctions on Tiger Woods? Should the NBA thrown Kobe out of the league because of his alleged indisrections?
Pitino has created a barrel full of problems for himself..from a personal standpoint..with this “encounter” he had with Sypher. Now you are suggesting that Jurich pile on and add 15 yards to the mess?
That’s like belting your kid for spilling his milk. He’s apologized, he’s the butt of tons of jokes these days and now Jurich should tie his shoe laces together and ask Rick to walk to Mass?
There is a morality clause in Rick’s contract. Whether it includes consentual sex or not, I couldn’t say..I’m no lawyer…but Rick’s actions have not cost the University millions of dollars in lawsuits or class actions. The defendant (Sypher) will most likely do jail time. You think we should punish Pitino because someone allegedly tried to extort him? What is this..Nazi Germany?
Really?
The media and Rick’s own blunders have punished him more than any judgement Jurich could meter out..and will continue to for as long as he lives.
This is dangerous territory folks. Do you want R. Pitino to resign? That is not the right choice. Mistakes are embarrasing, his is humililiating.
I take it — you had no intention of using photoshop for a touch up? Great real photo!
Is it just me or does Pitino look like Joe Pesci? Charlie where did you find that photo?
I took the photo at a Cardinal Caravan event.
Tragedy? Soap Opera? Sure.
The media thrives on such stuff, which doesn’t say much for the watchers/readers/listeners, does it? If this is the kind of stuff that grabs our attention–we need to look in the mirror, don’t we?
Our University is doing a lot of great work–educating young men and women, and providing a nurturing yet competitive environment. Media attention like this is very distracting, if not destructive, to the programs we’ve come to love and support.
In all fairness, when a student, athlete or administrator has demonstrated a lapse in judgement or public behavior that reflects badly on the University–they suffer the consequences with a range of actions from one or two game suspensions on up to prison time (for a certain administrator).
In this case, I hope and trust that the A.D. is waiting for the conclusion of the (Italian?) tragedy to mete out the University’s response and possible punishment.
But there surely MUST be some official University response to the lapse in judgment…
(And before one of you snappy bloggers suggests it–I don’t think 15 seconds of silence before each home basketball game would be quite appropriate…)
Well said Charlie (and great photo of Pitino by the way). Last week was ugly and the path to redemption, public image or otherwise, is unclear. But I do agree that it’s important to remember who in fact is the one that has been charged with a crime.
What this trial has told us – clearly-that anyone working for Pitino is working with a guy who communicated with mob like references. Tim Sypher shared the code phase “RED ALERT” to indicated that things were out of hand with Karen Sypher. Even better was asking Tim to(take care of his (Pitino’s) problem out of town…)as he drove Ms. Daisy to an abortion clinic in Cincinnati. Even sadder was funding Karen’s medical procedure from his late son’s charity. This is awful.
The trial is doing just what Pitino didn’t want and that is-demonstrating how arrogant he is away from the wife and kids…Karen Sypher’s trial is a Pitino trial that will destroy his integrity. Commonwealth soap opera at your service.
She sure does make it worthwhile for her “lawyers” professionally speaking of course…….
Man, when I was still teaching Shakespearean tragedy, how I could have used this sordid and tawdry mess as an example: A man, usually, of high stature and accomplishment, who makes a calamitous error. (There’s something in there about hubris, also, i.e., overweaning pride, but we won’t go there). His fall brings down others with him (oh dear) and, by the end of the fifth act, the audience is left with an intense feeling of “what a waste.” All these admirable qualities, where to now?