Suspended Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino says he had no knowledge of the payments that have sunk his coaching career.
"As I've previously stated, I had no knowledge of any payments to any recruit or their family. But I was the head coach and I will take ownership of my decisions," Pitino said in a statement Friday. "The University took the action they thought was necessary, and I will do the same."
He also sent a text message to a WHAS-AM radio host on Friday, saying he is sad and that he misses his players. Louisville begins practice Sunday under assistant coach David Padgett, who was named acting head coach at about the same time Pitino put out his statement.
"This weekend will be the saddest," Pitino wrote in the text. "So many years of opening day of practice."
Pitino has been placed on unpaid administrative leave by Louisville, whose board of trustees is likely to fire the coach with cause for his part in a recruiting scandal that has swept college basketball. Pitino was identified as a federal investigation's "Coach-2," who played a role in funneling money to a recruit, a source confirmed to ABC News on Thursday.
According to court records, "Coach-2" requested $100,000 be funneled to the family of recruit Brian Bowen before his commitment to the Cardinals.
Louisville was one of seven universities described in three complaints that resulted in the arrests this week of four assistant coaches, an Adidas executive and several others.
On Wednesday, Pitino's lawyers said that "the information disclosed thus far in the investigation is clearly insufficient to implicate Coach Pitino in any type of misconduct or other activity that would violate the terms of his contract. In sum, Coach Pitino has done nothing wrong and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise."
Pitino had already been under scrutiny for a sex scandal that landed Louisville's hoops program on NCAA probation. The school's board of trustees is expected to make its final decision on Pitino at a meeting scheduled for Oct. 19.
Pitino thanked his players from Providence, Kentucky and Louisville as well as the friends and fans who have reached out. He also commended suspended Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich, calling him the best AD in the country.
Louisville intends to find an interim athletic director next week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.