General

The Latest, But Probably Not the Last, Bizarre Chapter in the Pitino-Sypher Story

Aug 14, 2009, 2:55 PM UTC

â†µâ†µThis week is probably one Rick Pitino would just as soon forget. First, he had to have a head-on confrontation with the very public news that he had what he called consensual sex with a woman named Karen Sypher. He later gave that same woman $3,000 for an abortion.â†µ

â†µâ†µIf Pitino thought he put all of this ugliness to bed with a few statements from Louisville’s administration and a public news conference, he was wrong. The New York Post has an interview with Sypher in today’s paper that features accusations that range from strange (as in so strange you question their validity) to ugly (as in so ugly that if they’re true, Pitino should probably be out of a job).â†µ

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â†µ-- Karen Sypher actually married Tim Sypher, who was on Pitino's staff. Oh, and did I mention Tim was the one tasked with driving Karen to a Cincinnati abortion clinic? The two of them are now in divorce court with Tim seeking custody of their 4-year-old child. Not strange enough for you? How about this: Karen believes Tim married her as part of an evil plan by Pitino.â†µ

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â†µ-- The Post story makes heavy mention of the fact that Sypher and Pitino are both devout Catholics, so they were torn about the abortion. That all seems to go against paperwork from the clinic that the said Karen Sypher "checked off boxes indicating she felt "confident" and "strong" that she was doing the right thing."â†µ

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â†µ-- Did Pitino threaten her family? Well, if what she said is true, how else do you interpret something like this? "I'll never forget. I wanted to have the baby, but Rick said my children would all be in concrete. I lived in fear for five years," Sypher told the Post.â†µ

â†µâ†µOnce again, the reader must view all of this talk with one thing in mind: Police did not go after Pitino for the two allegations of rape that Sypher brought against the coach because there was not sufficient evidence to proceed. Even if none of this is true, how does it impact Pitino going into homes and recruiting from here on out? The recruiting circuit isn’t exactly known for letting these things go quietly.â†µ

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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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