Oct 22, 2015 01:34 PM EDT By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Whether Rick Pitino is the head men's basketball coach at the University of Louisville (UL) next season or not, he will fight to stay.

The Hall of Fame coach posted an open letter to his website Thursday previewing the upcoming season and emphatically stating he "will not resign" amid the ongoing sex scandal surrounding his team.

"I will not resign and let you down. Someday I will walk away in celebration of many memorable years but that time is not now. I do not fight these accusations by others but rather turn the other cheek. Couldn't do it at 33, but at 63 it's the wise thing to do. Let's let the investigators do their job and we will play basketball," Pitino wrote. "I am really excited with our ball team. Their attitude and willingness to learn is the best I've witnessed as a coach. We have the potential to be a very explosive offensive team. We must defend like past years. That will come when they come together as a unit."

In a recently released book, "Breaking Cardinal Rules," Katina Powell claims she and other women were hired to attend parties where Louisville basketball recruits would be present. She stated Andre McGee, a former UL basketball staffer and player, paid her and other women to strip for or have sex with the recruits between 2010 and 2014.

Former UL basketball players anonymously told ESPN's "Outside the Lines" Powell's claims were true, but did not indicate whether or not Pitino knew what McGee was doing. Powell told OTL McGee implied to her that he knew, but said she only interacted with McGee and the basketball players.

According to The Courier Journal, McGee stated through his lawyer, Scott C. Cox, that he knew Powell but never paid for escorts to have sex with UL basketball players, nor did he know of anything like it happening.

The UL men's basketball program is currently under investigation by the NCAA, law enforcement, and a firm hired by the school. Pitino could be subjected to a multiple-game suspension similar to Jim Boeheim and Larry Brown if the NCAA determins he "failed to monitor" his program.

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