Louisville: Player tied to Rick Pitino firing will not play for Cardinals

Louisville announced Wednesday that freshman Brian Bowen, tied to the Rick Pitino firing and one of the players at the center of the FBI probe into corruption in college basketball, will never play for the Cardinals.

Bowen, a former McDonald's All-American, will be provided written permission by Louisville to transfer to another school if he chooses. He will remain on scholarship as long as he is at Louisville but can't practice with the team, according to the university.

Brian Bowen will not play at the University of Louisville. He may remain on scholarship but will not be allowed to practice or compete pic.twitter.com/R04h5R58pR

— Louisville Basketball (@LouisvilleMBB) November 22, 2017

"Brian has been a responsible young man for the institution since he enrolled," Louisville interim athletic director Vince Tyra said. "He has endeared himself to his teammates and the men's basketball staff with a positive attitude during a very difficult period."

Bowen was suspended indefinitely in late September after an FBI investigation into corruption and bribery in college basketball recruiting. Federal documents allege that Adidas funneled $100,000 to the family of an unnamed player, later identified as Bowen, to sign with Louisville at the request of a Cardinals coach. The unnamed elite recruit committed to Louisville on June 3, the same date Bowen made his announcement that he had chosen the Cardinals.

Bowen, a 6-foot-7 small forward from Saginaw, Mich., was a five-star prospect coming out of high school. He averaged 20.4 points and seven rebounds last season at La Lumiere School in La Porte, Ind.

Pitino was officially fired as head coach at Louisville on Oct. 16 in the wake of the FBI investigation. Pitino has insisted he was not involved in the scandal.