ESPN has a video of Sypher being interviewed. She apparently claims that Pitino threatened her life:
"Before I left, I said, he said 'tell them to take care of everything'. And I said 'This is not what I want.' and he said, and he looked at me, straight in the eyes, and he said 'You do not have a choice on this matter. Your boys will be in concrete, and your family, and you'."
The circumstances of her claimed conversation were unclear. It's possible she's saying that occurred when he refused to pay her the blackmail money she wanted.
The video was released before Pitino attacked the media yesterday.
But as he said in his press conference yesterday, recruiting "has not been hurt one bit. We will still bring in top ten players."
Other things released by police yesterday included this message left on Sypher's answering machine, in Pitino's voice:
Quote:
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“It’s not something I can decide on,” he says on the message. “I think the best thing in all scenarios is to go through with it. But, that has to be your call because (inaudible) … I’m a high profile person … I can’t really give you any advice on this…”
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He's obviously talking about the potential termination of her pregnancy. And after saying that the best thing is to go through with it, he says he can't really give any advice.
In my opinion, regardless of whether or not her claimed converation with Pitino is fabricated, he's a scumbag and a slimeball, and should resign. But perhaps folks in Louisville will feel that he wins enough basketball games where that won't be necessary.