Iona men's basketball head coach Rick Pitino denied any involvement in allegations levied by former Adidas executive Merl Code, who claims that the 69-year-old signed off on a $100,000 payment in 2017 to the father of 5-star recruit Brian Bowen when he led Louisville's program.
Rick PitinoFor the 10th time I have no idea who Merle Code is and why he’s using me and others to be relevant. It’s already been proven under oath by Brian Bowen's Dad, Christian Dawkins and TJ Gassonola of my non involvement.
Code reiterated those allegations in his upcoming book, "Black Market: An Insider's Journey Into the High-Stakes World of College Basketball.