Louisville coach Rick Pitino said in a blog post Thursday that he will not resign despite the growing outcry against him amid the scandal surrounding his basketball team.
"I will not resign and let you down," Pitino said in a blog post addressed to his "loyal fans" on his website, rickpitino.net. "Someday I will walk away in celebration of many memorable years but that time is not now. I do not fight these accusations by others but rather turn the other cheek. ... Let's let the investigators do their job and we will play basketball.''
The blog post comes on the heels of a report by ESPN's Outside the Lines in which five anonymous players confirmed that they attended parties in an on-campus dormitory in which women stripped and some had sex with players for money.
In a book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," self-described former escort Katina Powell alleges that former director of basketball operations Andre McGee paid for the prostitutes.
Pitino has repeatedly denied any knowledge of the parties and has instead vowed to get answers. Earlier this week, in an interview with ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports, Pitino urged McGee to come forward.
"There's only one person who knows the truth, and he needs to come out and tell the truth to his teammates, to the University of Louisville, to his fans and to his coaches,'' Pitino said.
Since the Outside the Lines report, multiple national and local columnists have called for Pitino's resignation. But the Hall of Fame coach continues to have the support of his athletic director, Tom Jurich, who said earlier this week that there is no plan to fire Pitino or ask him to resign.
The NCAA and the University of Louisville police are both investigating the allegations, and the school has hired its own lawyer, Chuck Smrt, to conduct an internal investigation.
Pitino began his blog post with an apology to fans for having to "endure the pain of these allegations," and finished by referencing Pope Francis' response when he was asked difficult questions on his recent visit to the United States.
"He would often answer, 'We will let God judge,''' Pitino wrote. "There can be no better advice, regardless of what religion you are, than his words.''