Former Cardinal Terrence Williams denies involvement in Louisville sex scandal
Former Louisville Cardinal and ex-NBA player Terrence Williams vehemently denied ever paying for sex while he was at Louisville from 2005 to 2009 as a new book suggests.
Female escort Katina Powell alleges in the book “Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen” that Williams, other players and recruits at Louisville paid her and other escorts for sex. It specifically alleges that Williams paid $500 to two other women for sex during his time at Louisville.
Williams was asked about the book and the accusation about him by TMZ Sports.
“I am not a part of that,” Williams said. “To Louisville I am (expletive) Elvis Presley. So why would I pay anybody for anything?
“(Expletive) pay me for pictures and handshakes. And that’s not being cocky, ’cause I don’t play around with my blessing. I’m very honored to be in that position in Louisville. Louisville is the greatest city, the fans are great, Rick Pitino is great.”
[Look: Sixteen freshmen who will make the biggest impact this season]
Louisville head coach Rick Pitino has denied knowing anything about escort services for players and recruits. The book has led to four investigations about the allegations.
Williams is playing overseas now, but he was the 11th overall draft choice in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft and spent time with four different NBA teams, including Boston, New Jersey, Sacramento and Houston.
In the interview with TMZ Sports he challenged Powell to provide proof of her allegations against him. He said he will explore his legal options
Another former Cardinal, Luke Hancock, told several Louisville radio stations Monday that he lived on campus in Minard Hall for three years and “never saw anything, heard anything, wasn’t involved in anything.” Powell alleges in the book that most of the encounters took place in Minard Hall and were arranged by former Louisville staffer Andre McGee.
– – – – – – –
[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
