Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead.com points us today to remarks made on Saturday by Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino about concussions suffered by Cardinal players.

Speaking to the media after his team beat Gardner-Webb 78-49 in Louisville, Pitino reported that freshman point guard Elisha Justice had suffered a concussion after taking an elbow to the face during the game. (He sat out the second half.) Sophomore forward Rakeem Buckles also missed the game with a concussion.

Those injuries prompted Pitino to make mocking comments about head injuries suffered by Louisville basketball players this season.

Of Justice’s concussion, Pitino said: Read more…

Friday USC running back Dillon Baxter was deemed ineligible by the school after USC’s compliance office found he had committed an NCAA violation by accepting a ride in a golf cart on campus from USC student Teague Egan on Thursday.

(USC players at Egan company’s party - pic posted by Jordan Campbell)

Egan is no ordinary student. He’s also a registered agent with the NFL Players Association and CEO of 1st Round Enterprises - an entertainment agency fronting what appears to be a glorified party planning company. (For now.)

(U of L’s Campbell is listed as “partner” on NFL agent’s official website)

While Baxter’s eligibilty is reportedly expected to be reinstated by the NCAA in short order, his brush with Egan has set off alarm bells as to how many other USC players may have improper relationships with the registered NFL player agent.

If photos from First Round’s official Facebook page are any indication, it appears those concerns may be justified. Read more…

The Cincinnati Bengals visit the Atlanta Falcons this Sunday, which means Bengals Defensive Coordinator Mike Zimmer will return to the Georgia Dome as a coach for the first time since 2007.

(Mike Zimmer: Molder of men, reader of minds)

Three years ago Zimmer served on the Falcons staff blindsided by the departure of then-Atlanta head coach Bobby Petrino. With three games left in what turned out to be a 4-12 season, Petrino resigned without notice to take the head coaching job at the University of Arkansas.

(Lawyer Milloy in 2007: Co-sign)

When Zimmer was asked by Tom Archdeacon of the DAYTON DAILY NEWS his thoughts about returning to Atlanta, the Cincinnati assistant unloaded an unprompted verbal assault on Petrino.

Zimmer: Read more…

From Kent Taylor of Louisville WAVE-TV in Louisville tonight:

What was Rick Pitino doing in St. John’s locker room? Or if it was in Louisville’s locker room, why would it be there? Gotta be more to the story.

So since Pitino mentioned it, should we assume he didn’t give it a peek or three?

For a lot of us, tonight is like Christmas, your birthday and finding your Dad’s stash of Swank Magazines when you were 12 all rolled into one: college football starts tonight. And unlike most opening week mismatches, tonight’s marquee match-up should be a doozy, with Pac-10 dark horse Oregon braving possible blindness from the Smurf Turf and the color-coordinated fans to America’s underdog, the Boise State Broncos (current listed as a 3.5-point favorite).

But this isn’t just a compelling game between two Top 25 teams with big aspirations. No, these two teams (in my best Jim Ross drawl) Just Plain Don’t Like Each Other, especially after last season’s win by Boise State that featured two Broncos getting ejected and Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli getting KOed by a cheap shot while attempting his first pass of the game. Here’s some video if you want to judge for yourself:

Read more…

• Danica Patrick could be removing her racing suit to pose for an all-nude (yet tastefully done) pictorial for ESPN The Magazine.

(Well, it’s a start)

• And the Rick Pitino sex-tortion scandal gets more & more pitiful.

• This FIBA Americas basketball tournament is getting quite rough. If it isn’t Mexico & Uruguay throwing punches & chairs, it’s security hassling Charlie Villanueva & his mother.

• College football players could lose their hotel privileges - for home games. But keeping the kids out of the local Motel 6 could actually be a bad idea.

• Are fantasy sports bad for your relationships? Well, in Texas, it can certainly be bad for your health.

Read more…

Pat Forde of ESPN just tweeted: “Rick Pitino has called 3 a.m. (sic) press conference. No indication of the subject yet.“

I’ve criticized Forde enough on his non-coverage of Pitino’s extra-marital sex and abortion case, and I hate to be cynical … but if anyone knows the subject of the presser, it’s Forde. (He co-authored a book with Pitino and has a home in Louisville.)

Read more…

• Rick Pitino’s reputation has taken a huge hit, as the Louisville b-ball coach impregnated the woman who’s been trying to extort him, then paid $3,000 for the abortion.

And now Karen Sypher says her marriage to Cardinals equipment manager Tim was all just a sneaky plot by Pitino to keep an eye on her. But hey, don’t blame Rick - blame 9/11!

• The release party for the new Miami Dolphins cheerleaders bikini calendar was quite the spectacle.

• Jay Mariotti denies that he’s going to be writing for the Chicago Tribune. Can’t wait to see Jay’s debut column in the Trib on September 1st!

• Manny Ramirez gets a memorable reception from San Francisco Giants fans - the same kind of reception that Barry Bonds used to get everywhere else except in the Bay Area.

• Engaged Malibu fashion designer Ali Kay may have encouraged Reggie Miller’s unwanted advances by sending the ex-NBA star photos of herself in bed & in a bikini. At least Ali’s still pretty good at making clothes.

Read more…

Ironic that the man most identified with the unrelenting full court press is finding himself harassed and boxed in by new allegations every day. The Rick Pitino sex scandal is a gift from Hell that keeps on giving, and today’s special delivery is yet another claim by the aggrieved party, Karen Sypher.

Sypher, the woman with whom Pitino has admitted having consenual sex in 2003 (she says he raped her, which he denies), said on Thursday that she now thinks Pitino hired her husband, Tim Sypher, to marry her. It was all a plot, she says, to keep an eye on her in case she decided to tell what happened.

Read more…

• Rick Pitino paid $3,000 to escape the possibility of parenthood with the woman accused of extorting him. Will Louisville keep Rick in the Cards?

• No wonder Reggie Miller has been so smitten with Ali Kay - she’s quite the fashion designer.

• The Pittsburgh Steelers show their own version of the shotgun formation.

• Kids at a Virginia basketball camp learn that Michael Vick is a wholesome, blameless creature.

• Whoever took it, please give Baron Davis’ laptop back - he has some “private images” he’d like to keep private.

Read more…