An open letter to Louisville Fans in the wake of your NCAA investigation.
Dear Louisville Fans:
As a lifelong Syracuse basketball fan, I completely understand the pain, frustration, and anxiety you are currently experiencing with the allegations that Louisville basketball paid skanky hookers to strip for recruits. The NCAA has had Syracuse under a microscope for years, searching and probing for any violations that can amount to a serious infraction and now you are going through the same.
We’ve been conference-mates in the Big East, and now in the ACC, so on behalf of the Confidential, allow me to help you as you navigate through the six emotional stages that go with an NCAA investigation.
SHOCK & DENIAL-
You read the reports on Twitter and heard rumors on sports blogs; a damning book was going to come out and cast a dark shadow over your beloved basketball program. Sure, you expect this kind of dastardly, unseemly behavior from the school in Lexington, but not Louisville. This has to be some kind of mistake, right? I mean, Jurich wouldn’t let us down would he?
PAIN & GUILT-
Somehow you start to wonder if this is all your fault; the expectations you have for a championship program are so great that you have created an unobtainable goal and the coaches have no choice but to resort to the lowest-of-the-low to try and get the top talent. If only you had been content with the championship in 1986 this could have all been avoided…
ANGER & BARGAINING-
F*** THE NCAA! F*** COLLEGE SPORTS! I HATE BASKETBALL AND I HATE THIS STUPID CONFERENCE. THIS S*** HAPPENS AT EVERY SCHOOL, WHY ARE PICKING ON LOUISVILLE! THEY LET COACHES HAVE RANDOM SEX WITH WAITRESSES WITH ZERO RECOURSE BUT TRY TO GET A 17 YEAR OLD RECRUIT LUCKY WITH A 45 YEAR OLD HOOKER AND SUDDENLY YOU’RE THE BAD GUY!
“DEPRESSION”, REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
One of the former commits confirmed the allegations. There is no hope for the program. The NCAA will make Jim Boeheim’s punishment look like a slap on the wrist. Pitino is done, our championships will be vacated, and Kentucky will forever be the top school in this state. We may as well just turn the Yum! center into an actual KFC restaurant. Hope is lost.
THE UPWARD TURN-
You’ve reached your lowest point and now you look up again. Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this is an opportunity to rebuild the program in a new light; to be a shiny beacon of what is good and pure in this sport. Remember the compassion the world felt for Ware? Yes, we need more of that positive thinking and love….
ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
Bring on your allegations. Bring on your violations and sanctions. We survived the Metro Conference and a brief stint in the God-Awful American Athletic Conference. We’ve gone through Steve Kragthorpe, for goodness sake. Nothing can be as bad as that shit. This is a new day for Louisville. Just hope that this feeling last more than 15 seconds…
