
The University of Louisville's basketball team has had its wins stripped by the NCAA on multiple occasions due to a sex scandal involving former staff members providing stripteases and sexual acts for recruits and players. The scandal, which took place between 2010 and 2014, resulted in the university being stripped of its 2013 national championship title and 123 wins from December 2010 to April 2014. The NCAA found that the university's head coach, Rick Pitino, failed to monitor and ensure compliance with NCAA rules, resulting in unethical conduct by the director of basketball operations, Andre McGee. As a result of the scandal, the university faced significant penalties, including financial fines and the vacating of victories, with the NCAA upholding the findings and punishments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 2015 |
| University | Louisville |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Team | Cardinals |
| Wins Stripped | 122-123 |
| Wins Years | 2011-2015 |
| Title | 2013 National Championship |
| Reason | Sex scandal involving striptease dances and sexual acts for recruits and players |
| Person Responsible | Andre McGee |
| NCAA Ruling | NCAA Division I Infractions Appeals Committee stripped the wins and title |
| Coach | Rick Pitino |
| Coach Status | Fired |
| Coach Fine | Suspended for five games |
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What You'll Learn

The 2013 national championship win was stripped
The University of Louisville's 2013 national championship win was stripped by the NCAA Division 1 Infractions Appeals Committee. The decision was made in the wake of a scandal involving the university's basketball program. The scandal centred around improper benefits given by Andre McGee, a former Louisville player who was then serving as Director of Basketball Operations. McGee was found to have committed NCAA violations by acquiring and paying for sexual acts and striptease dances for prospective players and players on his current roster. These violations occurred from December 2010 until June 2014. As a result of the scandal, Louisville's basketball program was punished with sanctions, including the vacation of 123 wins from December 2010 to April 2014. This included the 2013 national championship win, which was stripped from the university.
The NCAA found Louisville head coach Rick Pitino guilty of a Level I charge for failing to monitor McGee's compliance with NCAA rules when he gave him recruiting responsibilities. Pitino was set to be suspended for the first five games of the 2017-2018 season but was fired in October 2017 before the suspension could be carried out. In addition to the vacated wins and suspension, Louisville was also ordered to repay shared NCAA tournament revenue from 2012 to 2015 and any future payments until 2021.
The decision to strip Louisville of their 2013 national championship win was met with criticism and disappointment from some, including former coach Pitino, who called the ruling "unjust" and "not fair". A group of former Louisville basketball players sued the NCAA over the decision, seeking to have the championship and their reputations restored. The university also filed an appeal, but the NCAA upheld the findings and punishments. Despite the controversy, the NCAA maintained its stance, and Louisville was stripped of their 2013 national championship win.
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Over 100 wins were vacated
The University of Louisville's basketball team was stripped of over 100 wins, including the 2013 National Championship title, following a sex scandal involving former staff and recruits. The NCAA found that Andre McGee, the former Director of Basketball Operations, had committed violations by acquiring and paying for sexual acts and striptease dances for prospective players and current players. This resulted in a Level 1 violation of NCAA rules and led to the university being punished with sanctions.
The scandal centred around improper benefits given by McGee, a former Louisville player himself, to prospective players and former Louisville players. An investigation by the NCAA and the FBI revealed that McGee had paid thousands of dollars to Katina Powell, who described herself as a "madam", from 2010 to 2014. In exchange, Powell provided women to dance for and have sex with Cardinals players and recruits, with many of the alleged parties taking place at Minardi Hall, the men's basketball dormitory.
As a result of the scandal, Louisville's basketball program was punished with sanctions. The NCAA Division 1 Infractions Appeals Committee upheld the previously imposed penalties, including financial penalties and the vacation of wins. Specifically, Louisville was forced to vacate 123 victories from the 2012-2015 seasons, including a Final Four visit and the 2013 national title. They also had to forfeit an estimated $600,000 in NCAA tournament revenues.
The scandal had a significant impact on the University of Louisville and its basketball program. It resulted in the firing of head coach Rick Pitino, who was found guilty of a Level I charge by the NCAA for failing to monitor McGee's recruiting activities and ensure compliance with NCAA rules. The university also filed an appeal, but the NCAA upheld the findings and punishments, declaring no official winner of the 2013 NCAA tournament. Additionally, a group of former Louisville basketball players sued the NCAA over the stripped 2013 title, seeking to have their reputations restored and their names cleared of any wrongdoing.
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The NCAA found Louisville coach Pitino guilty
The NCAA found Louisville coach Rick Pitino guilty of a Level I charge. NCAA bylaws 11.1.2.1 and 11.1.1.1 require the head coach to monitor all recruiting activities to ensure that they are complied with. Pitino failed to monitor his director of basketball operations, Andre McGee, to ensure he complied with NCAA rules when Pitino gave McGee recruiting responsibilities.
McGee committed NCAA violations by providing striptease dances and sexual acts for prospective players and players on his current roster. These violations occurred from December 2010 until June 2014. The NCAA found that McGee engaged in unethical conduct and failed to cooperate when he refused to participate in interviews or provide relevant information to the enforcement staff during the investigation.
Pitino was set to be suspended for the first five games of the 2017–18 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball season, but Louisville fired him in October 2017, before the season started. The university filed an appeal, but the NCAA upheld the findings and punishments on February 20, 2018.
As a result of the NCAA investigation, Louisville's basketball program was punished with sanctions. The program had 123 wins from December 2010 to April 2014 vacated, including the 2012 Final Four and the 2013 national championship. The Cardinals were the first to have a men's basketball national title vacated by the NCAA. They also faced a monetary fine and had to forfeit NCAA tournament revenues.
In July 2018, a group of former Louisville basketball players sued the NCAA over its decision to strip the team of the 2013 title and more than 100 wins. The players sought to have the championship and associated wins restored and their reputations cleared. The university invested significant resources to oppose the vacation of records but was unsuccessful. On September 30, 2019, a group of players on the 2012–13 Cardinals team who were not involved in the rules violations settled a lawsuit they had filed against the NCAA.
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The scandal involved sex acts and stripteases
The 2015 University of Louisville basketball sex scandal involved the provision of sexual favors to recruits by the Cardinals. The NCAA stripped the Louisville Cardinals of over 100 wins, including the 2013 national championship, as punishment for the scandal. The scandal centered around Andre McGee, a former Louisville player who was then serving as Director of Basketball Operations. McGee was found to have committed NCAA violations by acquiring and paying for sexual acts and stripteases for prospective players and players on his current roster. The violations occurred from December 2010 until June 2014.
Katina Powell, who described herself as a "madam", made allegations that she had been paid several thousand dollars from 2010 to 2014 to provide women to dance for and have sex with Cardinals players and recruits. Many of the alleged parties took place at Minardi Hall, the men's basketball dormitory, while others occurred at off-campus locations.
As a result of the investigation into the scandal, Louisville's basketball program was punished with sanctions. The NCAA found Louisville head coach Rick Pitino guilty of a Level I charge for failing to monitor McGee's compliance with NCAA rules when he gave him recruiting responsibilities. Pitino was set to be suspended for the first five games of the 2017-18 season, but Louisville fired him in October 2017 before the season started.
In the wake of the scandal, a group of former Louisville basketball players sued the NCAA over its decision to strip the team of the 2013 title and associated wins. The plaintiffs sought to have their reputations restored and wanted a court to declare that they were innocent of any wrongdoing as implied by the NCAA.
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Louisville was investigated by the FBI and NCAA
The University of Louisville's basketball program was investigated by the FBI and NCAA following a 2015 sex scandal. The scandal involved allegations that Andre McGee, a former Louisville player and Director of Basketball Operations, provided improper benefits to prospective players and former Louisville players. These benefits included paying for striptease dances and sexual acts.
The NCAA found Louisville head coach Rick Pitino guilty of a Level I charge, as he failed to monitor McGee's recruiting activities and ensure compliance with NCAA rules. Pitino was initially set to be suspended for the first five games of the 2017-18 season but was fired in October 2017 before the season started.
As a result of the investigation, Louisville's basketball program faced several sanctions and punishments. The team had to vacate 123 wins from December 2010 to April 2014, including the 2012 Final Four and the 2013 national championship. They also faced a monetary fine and a reduction in scholarships and recruiting restrictions.
In 2020, Louisville received additional NCAA notices of allegations in connection with the FBI investigation. These allegations included Level I and Level II violations related to improper recruiting offers, extra benefits, and recruiting inducements. Louisville released a statement indicating that they would fight back against allegations they disagreed with and take responsibility for any proven factual allegations.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Louisville Cardinals had 123 wins from December 2010 to April 2014 vacated.
The wins were stripped because of a sex scandal involving former staffer Andre McGee. McGee paid women to perform stripteases and have sex with recruits and players.
The university was also forced to forfeit revenue from advertisements during the Final Fours and National Championship. Head coach Rick Pitino was found guilty of a Level I charge and was set to be suspended for the first five games of the 2017-18 season but was fired in October 2017.
Yes, the university filed an appeal but it was unsuccessful and the NCAA upheld the findings and punishments.
Yes, a group of former Louisville players sued the NCAA over the decision to strip the 2013 title. They sought to have the championship and associated wins restored and their reputations cleared.










































