NCAA investigating claim that Louisville used strippers and prostitutes to recruit basketball players

The University of Louisville and the NCAA are investigating claims that a former director of basketball operations paid escorts to have sex with new recruits.

In Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen, a book released Friday, author Katrina Powell alleged she was repeatedly hired by Andre McGee to provide strippers and prostitutes for basketball recruits' campus visits for 22 parties between 2010 and 2014. Powell claimed she earned more than $10,000 for the service, which involved herself, three of her daughters, and other women allegedly participating in sex acts with players, who are reportedly named in the book.

McGee, who left Louisville in 2014, is now an assistant coach at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The school put him on paid administrative leave Friday pending review. He has not admitted to any wrongdoing, ESPN reports. Meanwhile, the publishing company said it hired investigators and a Pulitzer-winning journalist to vet Powell's claims.

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"To say I'm disheartened, disappointed would be the biggest understatement I've made as a coach," Louisville coach Rick Pitino said in a news conference.