IU says it didn’t know about controversial University of Louisville book

Indiana University officials said Friday night they did not know that IBJ Book Publishing was working on a book that could mean trouble for the University of Louisville when it passed on a request for information from the company’s owner, who is also a big IU donor.

“At no time did Indiana University have contact with the NCAA on this issue, contact a member of the media or act in malice in any way towards Louisville and any suggestion contrary to these facts is false,” the statement said.

The book—“'Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen”—is the story of Katina Powell, a prostitute who said she arranged entertainment for University of Louisville players and recruits that including striptease shows and sex. IBJ Book Publishing expected the book to be available Friday night.

Mickey Maurer is the owner of IBJ Publishing. In August, he had asked an IU athletics official for help contacting a counterpart at the University of Louisville. Maurer said he needed assistance identifying someone in a photo.

Scott Dolson, IU’s deputy director of athletics, reached out to Louisville’s executive senior associate athletics director, Kevin Miller, for assistance. But a statement from IU says that Dolson had “no idea what the picture contained or for what purposes identification needed to be made.”

Two days later, Maurer sent an email to the IU and Louisville officials saying the photo would be used for a book that would not be favorable to the University of Louisville and he “understood if Louisville did not assist.”

Dolson then told the Louisville officials that he had no idea what the book was about and they should handle the situation as they deemed appropriate.

University of Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich mentioned the exchange during a press conference Friday evening. He said questions about the picture is what first alerted Louisville to possible problems.

Louisville officials also noted that Maurer is a big IU supporter for whom the university’s law school in Bloomington is named. Maurer said, “Any allegation that I was motivated by my love of IU is ludicrous.”

Maurer did not return a message seeking comment specifically about the photo.