Player central to Louisville scandal says he knew nothing about bribe
The player central to the Louisville-Adidas scandal, which led to the firings of Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich, continues to deny having any knowledge of the bribery allegations that led him, under his father's guidance, to join the Cardinals.
"I don't know anything about it," 19-year-old Brian Bowen said of his involvement in the unfolding scandal, in an interview with ESPN's Jeff Goodman on "Outside the Lines."
According to a federal indictment, the father of a recruit accepted funds from sportswear giant Adidas - with members of Louisville's coaching staff serving as middlemen - in order to ensure the recruit's commitment to the Cardinals. All evidence quickly identified Bowen as the amateur athlete in question.
Bowen added that while he and his father are on good terms, they have not discussed the bribery allegations.
"I don't want to know anything," Bowen said. "Whatever's happened, I don't want to know anything about it, I just want to see what happens with all the outcomes. I've let him know that I'm very upset as far as not being able to play, but as far as the investigation and everything, I don't even want to talk about that at all. I just brush that past."
As a five-star small forward and the No. 14 recruit on the 2017 ESPN 100, Bowen's commitment to Louisville had been considered a major shock prior to the revelations of backroom dealings.
Pitino, now fingered as being actively involved in the illegal payment, even went as far as to say of Bowen's surprise signing: "In my 40 years of coaching, this is the luckiest I've been."
Bowen was cleared by the FBI in the corruption probe, according to his legal representative. Regardless, Louisville announced he would not play for the program. As for what's next, he appears to be keeping his options open.
"My biggest thing is that I want to play college basketball," Bowen said. "There are other routes I can go. I could go play in Spain or Australia, or in Lithuania with the Ball brothers. But my dream was to play college basketball."