College basketball is being savaged by a bribery scandal which just claimed the scalp of legendary Louisville coach Rick Pitino.

The two time National Champion (once with Kentucky) was fired after 16 years at the school for "just cause."

Federal investigators allege that an Adidas executive conspired to pay $100,000 to the family of a top national recruit to play at Louisville and to represent Adidas when he turned pro.

Pitino denies that he was involved in the plot. However, in texts released by his own attorney, he is in contact with Jim Gatto, who is among the Adidas execs accused of wrongdoing.

Here’s Pitino’s texts with Adidas exec Jim Gatto. He spelled Yeezys wrong. Mentions Rozier as he previously claimed pic.twitter.com/Fr7EVJybWb

— Lyndsey Gough (@LGonTV) October 16, 2017

Since shoe reps are allowed to communicate with college coaches about shoes, the texts themselves are only hard evidence that neither Gatto nor Pitino has any idea how to spell Yeezy.

But they do indicate a casual give-and-take relationship between the two men. And they may have contributed to Pitino's firing.

[Related: Looks like we have a first look at new Yeezy basketball sneakers.]