Louisville loses NCAA appeal and championship title

The University of Louisville men’s basketball program must purge 123 victories—including its 2013 national championship—from the record books after the NCAA on Tuesday denied its appeal in a sex scandal case involving the school. This is the first time in NCAA history a men’s basketball team has had to surrender a national title. In June, the NCAA imposed sanctions on the school after an investigation found the basketball team organized dorm parties and paid women to have sex with recruits. “[T]he panel found that a former Louisville director of basketball operations acted unethically when he committed serious violations by arranging striptease dances and sex acts for prospects, student-athletes and others, and did not cooperate with the investigation,” the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions wrote in a statement. The decision to uphold the ruling Tuesday officially strips Louisville of its victories between 2011 and 2015 and mandates the school pay back revenue it earned during postseason play—a fine of roughly $600,000. “I cannot say this strongly enough: We believe the NCAA is simply wrong to have made this decision,” interim Louisville President Greg Postel said during a news conference Tuesday. Longtime Louisville head coach Rick Pitino lost his job in October following a separate FBI investigation into the basketball program for allegedly paying recruits to enroll.