Woman Says She Feared Pitino's Wrath

(CBS/AP)  The woman accused of trying to extort as much as $10 million from Rick Pitino over a sexual encounter says the Louisville coach orchestrated a plot to keep her silent, including a claim that her current husband was paid to marry her.

Karen Sypher, whose extortion charge is still pending, says in Friday's edition of the New York Post that Pitino - a married father of five - engaged her at a Louisville restaurant in 2003, where the sexual encounter is said to have occurred. Pitino admitted to the tryst Wednesday and issued a public apology.

Sypher told the Post that Pitino forced her to have an abortion and feared for her life if she did not follow his order.

"I'll never forget. I wanted to have the baby, but Rick said my children would all be in concrete. I lived in fear for five years," Sypher told the newspaper.

The Post reported that Sypher, whose last name at the time of the encounter was Cunagin, went on to claim that her subsequent marriage to Tim Sypher - Pitino's equipment manager - was all part of an elaborate plot Pitino used to keep the incident private.

"The feds bugged my house and put surveillance everywhere with Tim's help," said Sypher, who is currently going through a divorce.

"I now think my husband was paid to marry me."

Pitino's job at Louisville appears safe after school president James Ramsey said Thursday it was time to move on and that the coach is "our guy."

"This woman is incapable of telling the truth," said Pitino's lawyer, Steve Pence. "She is extremely deceitful, and in many ways disturbed."

[rsmik]

Porcini's waiter: the w h o r e du jour is hot today
Pitino: I'll take mine to go, down, up, sideways

[rsmik]

Porcini's Restaurant has a new special: *****-du-jour

[rsmik]

w h o r e du jour, damn CBS filters

[toldyouso29]

Everything that woman says may be true. Men do threaten, etc to keep their dirty secrets quiet and yes, men will set a woman or anyone else up--but she destroys any credibility she might have had when she tries to extort money from him. If he was as scary as she says, then she would not dare try to extort would she? Knowing that his answer might be not to pay up but put her in concrete after all...The fact is, if she really wanted a chance to be believed, she should have been taping it all--from the abortion, to the threats to the sham marriage--because without it--we have just her statements and frankly neither she or the man are trustworthy.

[rsmik]

Can't wait for the Lifetime movie

[fdx22]

This tabloid story should left for the tabloids, not CBS News.

[Imadinnerjacket]

She should be put in jail... he'll be lucky to keep his family...

I'm glad to see sex still sells stories and books...

[get_down]

This woman - a.k.a. Ms. Karen Sypher, if she's really afraid of Mr. Rick Pitino - then she wouldn't dare to extort him - correct?
But, if the law can prove indeed she is the one that extorted Mr. Rick Pitino whom she's afraid of - then she's nothing but a liar. To be fair, this basketball coach - a.k.a. Mr. Rick Pitino is no saint either - a man has a wife and 5 children yet committed adultery with a woman now who he alleges that extorted him for 10 million dollars - no matter what - the extra-marital affair is true. So shame on him! He should be fired for creating this scandal in the first place!

[differnet]

And hey, let's not forget the Governor of South Carolina... What is wrong with people. You have children, you loose the right to be a callous pig. It would be awful enough to cheat on your spouse, but when you have children you are cheating on them too.

[differnet]

And just another louse who can't keep his zipper shut. I feel no sympathy for men who cheat and then get blackmailed.

[MorganBarber44]

Some women will do anything to establish a free lunch program. Stick with your wife, Rick. If you do that, you can't get "caught".