Starting Lineup: Faithful February

Hey remember when I said Louisville might want to leap into February? Well forget the final four y’all, its a leap year… 😒
Louisville has taken leaps and bounds this month. Out of bounds, that is. the saga that has weighed so heavily on my every day being, has taken it’s turn for the worst. And the worst for who? As we try to numb the pain, fans are left with a mind numbing number of questions. If we weren’t hurt enough when this issue surfaced, it was announced February 5, 2016 by the president of the university that effective immediately, he would self impose a ban based on evidentiary support.
**Disclaimer** Seeing as I don’t imagine the author of alleged guilt does a lot of leasurly reading in her spare time, I won’t be scripting this as so…

🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴

This is an open letter to us #cardnation.

We are the ones who matter.

We are the ones who care.

Here are the 4 things that matter most heading into the madness of March.
1. Truth be told
I still do not believe the allegations hold much truth as they have been told… as they have been so grossly detailed. Why? Because, details. I won’t pretend to have read the words from a woman who uses her mouth for money. Plenty of credible local sources have lingering question marks. The holes (pun intended) in this story are so big that one picture is painted quite clear. Its been said that the eyes are in the beholder. A sex party? Really? Perhaps for a woman who leaves the house with one thing in mind, sex & money, the term can be held true.

Now let’s flip the script.. These are college athletes, male college athletes. Men whos’ names mean something more than something as romantically put as ‘Escort Queen’. These are men who have earned their crown as kings of the court rather than a self-proclaimed queen of the bedroom.. Errr umm.. The hotel room.  It is solely because of the name held by these men that a woman is even being discussed at this regrettable moment. It is because of the name these men represent that instead of discussing Selection Sunday, I will discover the horror of March sadness.

So while there are some of us scratching our heads as to WHY ME! WHY US…

2. A Story Toy

This emotional roller coaster has been a ride that I’m ready to exit. It brings a lump to my throat, tears to my eyes and a stab in my chest that something I love so dearly is being toyed with. Something that I, myself, have worked so hard to professionally represent is being discredited by sex and money.

**Disclaimer** In no way, shape or form do I believe (insert any) young man who dons the Louisville name across his chest could enter a situation knowing sex was planned by an outside party to happen (let alone with the knowledge that it was being paid for) and be able to look hall of fame coach Rick Pitino in the eyes the next day without an ounce of guilt. I’m not saying sex didn’t happen.. I’m saying there are 3 offenders. The author, the messenger and the funder.

Innocent fans, students and players are being pointed at.. And for what? For continuing to wear the logo loud and proud?  To show up to games and be harassed by opposing fans for behavior we had nothing to do with. We’ve invested in this team, we’ve invested in this program. Where’s the loyalty we’ve all bought into?
Why does it feel like anything I write here now still doesn’t seem like enough. Not enough for you, not enough for me. Where did our voice go? It wasn’t us who committed infractions, it wasn’t us who self imposed, however, were left feeling like we have to explain ourselves to outsiders who do not live in our reality.
The problem is that I can sit here and say this or that and it sounds like a whisper compared to a sex offender who can admit guilt in breaking our laws and breaking our university’s mission.

3. The Blame Game

The actions taken by the administration to allow this illness to spread among the program need to be held responsible. As I stated before, there are three players in this game.

For spits and giggles, I searched the athletic deparment’s mission statement at the University of Louisville. Last visited in 2014. Talk about timing…
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We will provide leadership for our student-athletes to inspire their achievement of the goals established in this mission statement.

In Jurich we trust!

U of L’s competitive athletics provide an outstanding leadership laboratory, and its high quality classroom instruction provides outstanding educational opportunities. 

I wouldn’t want any other leader than HOF Rick Pitino.

It is our responsibility to assure that our student-athletes benefit from these educational and athletic experiences at U of L.

Louisville first, Cards forever y’all.
Here’s where translation gets lost…

To help accomplish our mission, we provide superior services to our fans and donors, the primary financial resources that support our program. 

Someone might’ve misinterpreted the word services. And to whom.

These services result in the best opportunities for our student-athletes to participate in well-supported, competitive programs that bring renewed spirit to our campus, our alumni, and the Louisville community. 

Future reference.. we don’t need these services (admin), we need the games. This is an embarrassing debacle that has turned not just the logo but each individual who invests and wears that logo into an image of disgust.

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If you are a fan of faith like myself, you can rest assure that what goes around, comes around. And I suppose it’s true that people hear what they wanna hear.
But what I want to hear is that admittance of guilt by the parties involved so we can take whatever punishment comes our way and move on as one #cardnation. No more of this he said-she said, my head is spinning.

4. The Name Game

At the end of the day, we are here to stay #cardnation. Students, players coaches and administration will come and go, but we the fans will always be here. And if we are not…. There isn’t a program.

We owe a lot to two individuals particularly, tomorrow is Senior Day for Damion lee and Trey Lewis. We asked them be here, to represent us on the court. One week before season, they weren’t shuffling to gather their academic books, but one that lacks it. One month before the tournament they weren’t on the bubble, they were on the hot seat. They won’t get their chance to dance but their maintenance in representing the name across their chest is a breath of fresh air and sounds of music, as we fans are struggling to do as much.
From the Courier Journal… 

Trey Lewis was still a student at Cleveland State when he started keeping a journal, hoping to use the little free time he had to scribble down his thoughts for the day. He remembers just before Thanksgiving and months before he transferred to Louisville, he wrote that he was going to have a great game, and that “the world will know my name.” He scored 24 of his team’s 33 points that night in Cleveland State’s loss to U of L, impressing his future teammates and coach Rick Pitino and his staff.

These days Lewis looks back through his journal and relives moments like that. “I just laugh because it’s like, ‘Man, that’s what I was going through at that time,’” Lewis said Wednesday at the ACC men’s basketball media day. “Sometimes you’ll see your growth, too.”

“I feel that there’s a reason why I’m here, why all this is going on,” Lewis said..

If that isn’t faith… Then I don’t know what is.
Happy Senior Day Trey and Damion! You make us proud to be Louisville first, Cards forever you will be.

As always, Go Cards Go.

@darylfoust4