|
Louisville freshman Brian Bowen is out of the crosshairs of the FBI's bribery investigation into college basketball that led to the ouster of Cardinals coach Rick Pitino. Bowen's attorney, Jason Setchen, first told the Louisville Courier-Journal of the news and later confirmed it to ESPN. The university can move forward toward reinstating Bowen by conducting an internal investigation of the five-star recruit, who was suspended in October following the FBI investigation into corrupt national recruiting practices. Federal documents allege that Adidas funneled $100,000 to an unnamed player -- later identified as Bowen -- to sign with Louisville, at the request of a Cardinals coach. Bowen's lawyer has maintained his client was not privy to the bribe, which allegedly went to Brian Bowen Sr. "Brian has not done anything wrong," Setchen told ESPN's Jeff Goodman. "We're really confident Louisville is going to be fair and give Brian every opportunity to present his case. With that being said, we're also confident he'll become eligible." Through a school spokesman, Louisville declined to comment to ESPN, citing the ongoing federal investigation. Bowen has remained enrolled at the school. "Brian was not aware of any of the alleged activities," Setchen told the Courier-Journal, "and it is our position that he has not violated any NCAA rules or bylaws. ... It is unfair to Brian or any student-athlete to try and punish them for actions of others who are not in their control." Bowen was a five-star prospect in the 2017 class and signed with Louisville in early June. Since the FBI bombshell in late September, Louisville has fired head coach Rick Pitino and assistant coach Jordan Fair, and put assistant coach Kenny Johnson on paid administrative leave. Athletic director Tom Jurich was also fired with cause last month. David Padgett was named interim head coach for the 2017-18 season. No. 16 Louisville plays its first regular-season game on Nov. 12 against George Mason.
|
