Miami coach Jim Larranaga and ex-Louisville coach Rick Pitino have both received grand jury subpoenas as the FBI continues its ongoing investigation into corruption in college basketball.
According to Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times, Larranaga received a subpoena for texts, emails and other items. Pitino's attorney confirmed to the Louisville Courier-Journal on Wednesday that his client was gathering relevant information for the U.S. Attorney.
"There's nothing there," one of Larranaga's attorneys told Fenno of Miami's situation. "We're trying to get them to admit they made a mistake and move on."
Pitino was fired from his role as coach at Louisville for cause on Monday for his involvement in funneling $100,000 to Brian Bowen, a former five-star player who is now enrolled at Louisville.
Miami president Julio Frenk acknowledged Sept. 28 that the program was under investigation, however Stuart Grossman, an attorney to Larranaga, said he expected both his client and the program to be exonerated.
"Coach L has done absolutely nothing wrong, and neither have his assistants," Grossman told the Miami Herald. "Never was he approached about a payment. He never spoke to any recruit or Adidas representative about a payment. If someone used his name, it was done in vain. Coach L has no idea what this matter is about, other than what he read in the complaint, and he believes none of his assistants were involved in any wrongdoing whatsoever. We hope for a swift conclusion in this matter, but dealing with the government takes time."
FBI documents released last month regarding the corruption and bribery scheme don't explicitly mention Larranaga or Miami by name, however the school was identified as having been involved in paying players in conjunction with Adidas.
