Five-star recruit Brian Bowen will not be allowed to play basketball at Louisville, the university announced on Wednesday. The school said he is free to consider his transfer options and they will issue him a full release.
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The decision comes after an internal investigation the school conducted into an alleged bribe that was made toward an unnamed player at the university. Federal documents stated that Adidas allegedly funneled $100,000 to an unnamed player — later identified as Bowen — to sign with Louisville. The school conducted the investigation in order to reinstate Bowen but Wednesday's announcement indicates the school will instead move on from Bowen.
Bowen can continue to receive his athletic scholarship if he remains at the school but will be unable to participate in any basketball function at any point in the future. He was initially suspended by the university in October after the FBI's investigation into corrupt national recruiting practices. A lawyer for Bowen said the alleged funds from Adidas went to Bowen's father and that his client was not privy to them.
While Louisville announced that they will issue Bowen written permission to contact another school to transfer, it remains to be seen what his next step will be. He has aspirations to play in the NBA, but likely will need to play somewhere in order to prove himself to NBA teams. He could decide to play overseas in Europe or in the NBA G League.
