BASKETBALL
Pitino to Louisville: Take action
Former Louisville coach Rick Pitino said the school should consider taking legal action against the NCAA after the governing body ordered the vacating of the Cardinals' 2013 men's basketball championship as part of sanctions for a sex scandal. Louisville announced on Tuesday that the NCAA had denied its appeal of sanctions that included vacating 123 victories and the return of about $600,000 in conference revenue from the 2012-15 NCAA Tournaments. The school later removed banners of the 2013 championship and 2012 Final Four appearance. Pitino said Wednesday from his attorney's offices in New York that the NCAA's decision was unfair. The former coach did take responsibility for assistant coaching hires such as Andre McGee, who an escort said hired her and other dancers for sex parties on campus with players and recruits and leading to the NCAA investigation. But Pitino said once again that he did not know anything about the sex shows that took place in the dorms. Asked about legal action, Pitino said he was defenseless in this instance but that Louisville's Board of Trustees should consider legal action. "I don't know if this Board of Trustees will do that," he said, "but they should because the players deserve it." The sex scandal was not the reason Louisville fired Pitino, who has sued the university over his dismissal. The school fired the Hall of Famer in October after acknowledging that the university was being investigated for allegations that the family of former recruit Brian Bowen was bribed in an effort to get him to Louisville. Bowen has since transferred to South Carolina.
Cuban fined for 'tanking' talk
The NBA has fined outspoken Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban $600,000 for comments about tanking during a podcast with Hall of Famer Julius Erving. Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the fine was for "public statements detrimental to the NBA." The podcast with Erving was posted Sunday, the day the All-Star game was played in Los Angeles. Cuban said during the 30-minute interview that he met recently with some of his players and told them "losing is our best option." Cuban said he shared the club's summer plans with the players and "that we're not going to tank again." He said by the end of the season, it will be "a year and a half of tanking." The billionaire owner told The Associated Press he "earned" the fine because he "got excited talking to Dr. J and said something I shouldn't have." The fine came a day after Cuban's franchise was accused of having a hostile workplace for women in a Sports Illustrated report that detailed allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct by former team president Terdema Ussery.
BASEBALL
Astros' prospect suspended
Houston Astros minor league pitcher Forrest Whitley has been suspended for 50 games without pay for a violation of baseball's minor league drug prevention and treatment program. Whitley, who is considered one of Houston's top prospects, is on the roster for Class AA Corpus Christi. His suspension will begin at the start of the Texas League season. Whitley, 20, was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2016 amateur player draft by the Astros. The right-hander played at three minor league levels last season, finishing with Corpus Christi, where he had a 1.84 ERA in four games.
Sports on 02/22/2018