Today has ended up being a day that is definitely the low point for the University of Kentucky basketball program since Coach Cal has been our new coach. The news of major violations at Memphis from the 2007-2008 season. John Wall pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for his actions last month while visiting an unoccupied home.  Billy Gillispie is going after what some think is rightfully his and some think is not rightfully his.  Here are some articles from other sites to shed more light on these situations.

1. The Memphis men’s basketball program has been charged by the NCAA with major violations during the 2007-08 season under former coach John Calipari, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported on Wednesday.  The allegations include “knowing fraudulence or misconduct” on an SAT exam by a player on the 2007-08 team.   The wording of the report indicates the player in question only competed during the 2007-08 season and the 2008 NCAA tournament. The player’s name was redacted in the report due to privacy laws, The Commercial Appeal reported.  If the NCAA allegations are proven true, Memphis might have to forfeit their NCAA-record 38 victories and Final Four appearance.  Memphis received the notice of allegations Jan. 16 and is scheduled to appear before the NCAA Committee on Infractions June 6.  A source within the Memphis program told ESPN’s Dana O’Neil, “the current team will 100 percent not be penalized.” The source does not expect a reduction in scholarships.  Calipari left Memphis for Kentucky on March 31. The NCAA has requested his presence at the hearing, although he is not named in the report.  It is also alleged that Memphis provided $2,260 in free travel to road games for an associate of a player, The Commercial Appeal reported. The NCAA is charging Memphis with a failure to monitor. “We take it very seriously. We don’t condone it,” athletic director R.C. Johnson told the Commercial Appeal, who declined to comment in detail about the allegations. “We’re doing a thorough investigation.”  Kentucky spokesperson DeWayne Peevy said Wednesday night Calipari was up front with Kentucky prior to his hiring. He said Kentucky was made aware of the allegation.  “It’s important to note that there are no allegations against John Calipari in the report,” Peevy said. Peevy said a statement from Kentucky would be forthcoming Wednesday night.  Kentucky assured its boosters when it hired Calipari it had done its due diligence in checking his background.  “Sandy Bell and the compliance folks talked with the NCAA and checked records and facts,” Barnhart said April 1 when Calipari was introduced at Kentucky. “David Price, other people at the high level with the NCAA, assured us how much they enjoyed working with John in that process.”We have all had our critics about how we manage and lead our programs. For seven years I’ve had my share and I’ve been through it. Our commitment at the University of Kentucky to compliance and discipline has always been strong, and that will not change. John’s commitment to compliance and discipline has always been strong, and that will not change.  “Interestingly, Price, the NCAA vice president of enforcement, issued the NCAA document detailing the infractions which was sent to Memphis.  Calipari has been involved with NCAA violations in the past. After his 1995-96 Final Four season at UMass, it was discovered center Marcus Camby had accepted money and gifts from two sports agents. The NCAA made UMass forfeit all 35 wins and vacate its Final Four appearance and banner. Information from ESPN.com reporter Dana O’Neil was used in this report.
2. Kentucky Wildcats recruit John Wall has pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and entered a program for first offenders which could lead to having his record cleared.
   Wall, 18, pleaded guilty Wednesday to breaking and entering.
   Wake County Assistant District Attorney Phillip Cowan said that under the terms of the plea, Wall must complete 75 hours of community service, pay court costs and program fees and stay out of trouble for the next six months.
   The 6-foot-4 point guard at Raleigh Word of God signed a national letter of intent to play at Kentucky last week. He was charged after police found him walking out of a vacant house in Raleigh. Wall and two other teenagers were cited.
   Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
3. Former Kentucky men’s basketball coach Billy Gillispie sued the school Wednesday, seeking at least $6 million he says he is owed on his deal for being fired without cause.
   Gillispie’s attorney, Houston-based Demetrios Anaipakos said that the Kentucky coach’s reason for filing thel lawsuit was pretty simple.
   “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too, to put it quite simply,” Anaipakos said. “There’s a public misconception that Coach Gillispie did not sign a contract with the University of Kentucky athletic association. He absolutely did. They drafted it. He signed it. They signed it and their board approved it. Whether you’re in Kentucky or Texas, a deal is a deal.”
   In the lawsuit, Gillispie claims that breach of contract and fraud and that he and the university operated under a signed memorandum of understanding because he hadn’t signed a formal contract in his two years.
   He contends that under that memorandum, he should be paid $1.5 million a year for four of the five years left on the deal. The suit also asks for an undisclosed amount of punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, court costs and interest.
   The lawsuit filed in federal court in Dallas contends the school’s athletics association is in breach of contract and has committed fraud because the university never intended to honor the agreement.
   “Rather than honor its written, signed deal with coach Gillispie, defendant prefers instead to pretend as though no deal was ever reached,” the lawsuit says. “Unfortunately for defendant, its make-believe world is just that.”
   University attorneys expressed surprise over the lawsuit.
   “The university was continuing to negotiate a separation in good faith and his counsel had asked for more time,” they said in a statement.
   Responding to the statement, Anaipakos said. “I find it difficult to believe they were surprised as they had from March 27 until today to honor a contract they had made with this man.”
   The lawsuit offers offer several examples where a memorandum of understanding was cited as a contractual agreement between the two parties including a July 2007 letter where the university told Gillispie he could not enter into an endorsement agreement with a Houston-based company because of the language in the memorandum of understanding.
   “Both parties operated under it.” Anaipakos said. “He received the benefits he was supposed to be getting under that contract and when he tried to sign a personal services agreement they said, ‘No, no, no.’ They enforced the deal and lived under the deal and then when they ended the relationship said there was no deal.”
   Anaipakos said the next step is the court scheduling a hearing. He expects that to happen quickly, perhaps within 10 days.
   Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart, reached Wednesday at the Southeastern Conference meetings in Destin, Fla., said he had no comment.
   “I just got off the phone with our attorneys and I can’t say anything,” Barnhart said.
   Jimmy Stanton, a spokesman for University of Kentucky president Lee Todd, said there wouldn’t be further comment because it now involves pending litigation.
   Much of the 24-page lawsuit highlights the 49-year-old Gillispie’s biography, describing him as an up-and-coming coach who resurrected a Texas A&M program before leaving to lead Kentucky, the nation’s all-time winningest college basketball program.
   “He resigned a promising, successful position as head coach with a rapidly ascending program at Texas A&M,” it says. “He did so because he believed [the university's] false representations to him during his negotiations.”
   In three seasons with the Aggies, Gillispie was 70-26, making the NCAA tournament twice including the Sweet 16 in 2007. The previous three seasons before Gillispie came on board, A&M was 20-22.
   Gillispie went 40-27 in two seasons with the Wildcats, including a 22-14 mark last season that tied for the second-most losses in the program’s 106-year history. A stumble down the stretch left the Wildcats out of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1991.
   Gillispie still has a home near Lexington. He is not coaching right now.
   Dana O’Neil is a reporter for ESPN. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

All in all today is a day that we all want to put in our past as we have definitely turned all of our positive publicity in Lexington into negative publicity. Allegations of major violations at Memphis under Coach Cal’s watch is definitely not a positive thing for UK.  There are going to be many questions raised and UK is going to be under the microscope more than ever now. Second we have an ugly lawsuit with our former coach which could very easily be taken care of.  The big money boosters were so dead set on running Gillispie out of town and all I could hear the whole time was that the boosters were not happy.  So, put your money where your mouth is and everything is taken care of.

Lastly, which really is least of all of our worries and is not a  huge deal, but Wall obviously pleaded guilty for a very minor incident, but it is still fuel for the fire that has started.

Be ready Cats fans as there is sure to be some hell to follow all that has transpired.    I believe that all of this can be cleaned up very quickly, but it is going to take the right people doing it the right way.