Terry Rozier not addressing Louisville escort scandal during Celtics overseas trip

...oh no.

In case you missed it, Celtics rookie guard Terry Rozier has been implicated in a University of Louisville sex scandal.

In the newly released book "Breaking Cardinal Rules: Basketball and the Escort Queen," a woman named Katina Powell alleges that Andre McGee, a former Louisville player and staff member, hired her to bring both strippers and prostitutes on campus while recruits were visiting.

As reported by Adam Himmelsbach in the Boston Globe, the book references a recruit named Terry:

In one excerpt, Powell referred to accepting tickets to two Louisville games, apparently from McGee, in exchange for bringing two women for “a new recruit from Cleveland named Terry.” Rozier, who lived in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, Ohio, committed to Louisville in 2011 and enrolled as a freshman in 2013.

Rozier, who is traveling with the Celtics on their preseason trip to Europe, was briefed on the release of the book and the accusations when he landed in Milan, Italy.   When asked to comment, he responded,

“When it’s time to answer those questions and deal with that, I will. But right now I’m just trying to take in this moment with these guys out here and have a lot of fun with my teammates. So, like I said, when that time comes to answer that, I will.”

Not a great way to start camp, but on the bright side I have a feeling Terry Rozier is going to be great under pressure.

If I landed in Italy and was immediately met by the press telling me that I've been implicated in a prostitution scandal that runs so deep it needed an entire book to tell the story, I'm immediately clawing my way back onto the plane, flying to wherever, and starting my life over under an assumed name.  The shame of being alleged in such a story would be enough for me to throw myself at the feet of Brad and Danny and beg for a job just mopping the floors at the practice facility in Waltham because obviously I'm off the team.

But not Terry Rozier.

What an answer, right?!  Total calm, cool, collected response under pressure.  That's the kind of answer I'd expect from a much more seasoned athlete who has been dealing with accusations for years.

It's no KG-Charlie Villanueva "cancer patient" backpedal, but for a rookie it is pretty good. That's a guy you can trust with the ball when the game on the line.

Rick Pitino had a different response.

“To say I’m disheartened and disappointed would probably be the biggest understatement I’ve made since I’ve been a coach.”

Yikes.
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Follow Padraic O'Connor on Twitter at @padraic_oconnor

Photo Source: Elaine Thompson; Associated Press