Coach Rick Pitino of Louisville denied making an obscene gesture on his way out of Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky., after Kentucky beat his Cardinals on Saturday.
Video surfaced on the Internet of Pitino gesturing to the crowd as he walked up the runway to the locker room after the game. His gesture was not clear on the video, but nevertheless it set off a buzz on social media sites.
"No I didn't flip off the fans," Pitino told ESPN.com in a text message. "I was in the tunnel. People were yelling ugly crude things that I didn't like. The 1-8 comment (Pitino's record against Kentucky coach John Calipari) was fine. But the other comments I didn't like."
Asked whether he gestured in any way toward the crowd, Pitino said: "My recollection was a 'we're #1.'"
Pitino coach also declined to say what comments were hurled at him by fans saying: "It's too ugly."
Pitino did not appear for his customary postgame news conference and sent associate head coach Ralph Willard in his place.
Louisville spokesman Kenny Klein told reporters that Pitino decided before the game that Willard would handle the postgame media conference.
