Pitino officially gets fired
Louisville coach’s latest scandal was final straw
For years, Rick Pitino was able to roam the sideline as Louisville’s iconic men’s basketball coach, even defiantly at times, and held onto his job amid a series of highly embarrassing missteps off the court.
Things looked bleak this time around, with a seemingly inevitable departure looming in the weeks since the latest scandal became public. But, even after the school was linked to a federal bribery investigation, no one completely counted Pitino out. Not until Monday.
The university had seen enough and decided to finally cut ties with the Hall of Fame coach.
The decision was unanimous.
Louisville’s Athletic Association officially fired Pitino Monday, nearly three weeks after the school acknowledged that Pitino’s program is being investigated as part of a federal corruption probe.
The association, which oversees Louisville’s sports programs and is composed of trustees, faculty, students and administrators, voted unanimously to oust the longtime Cardinals coach after a board meeting. The ULAA even heard from Pitino’s attorney, who made the case that his client “could not have known” about activities alleged in the federal investigation.
Not long after attorney Steve Pence’s 45-minute address to the ULAA, the association announced its decision after five hours of meetings. Pitino has $44 million remaining in salary and bonuses in a contract extension through the 2025-26 season. He was scheduled to earn a base salary of $5.1 million.
“We listened carefully to what they said, we read carefully everything they gave us,” university interim president Greg Postel said of the legal team’s presentation. “At the end of the conversation, we felt that our initial decision to begin the process of termination for cause was still in the best interests of the university. And that’s why the resolution was put forth and passed.”
Pence said later in a text to The Associated Press that the decision was “disappointing but not unexpected.”
The association had authorized Postel to begin the process of firing Pitino for cause Oct. 2 after Postel placed the coach on unpaid administrative leave Sept. 27. At that time, Postel also placed athletic director Tom Jurich’s on paid administrative leave. Trustees are expected to make a decision on Jurich’s future later this week.
Also Monday, the ULAA approved the hirings of acting athletic director Vince Tyra and acting basketball coach David Padgett, who received a one-year contract through Sept. 29, 2018. Padgett will earn $400,000 in salary plus incentives, and received a broadcast deal for another $400,000.
The move Monday officially ended Pitino’s 16-year tenure with the program, a run in which he compiled a 416-143 record — including 25-9 last season and winning the 2013 NCAA championship. But his success on the court was tarnished by offcourt incidents.
Pitino, 65, is not named in court complaints in the federal probe, but Postel said in a disciplinary letter that the allegations violated his contract. Ten people have been arrested in the corruption case, including four college assistant coaches and an Adidas executive.
Pence had contended that Louisville rushed to judgment and said Monday that Pitino should be retained.
Pence entered the meeting carrying a poster board for presentation to the ULAA. The attorney later distributed a detailed 55page document that included letters of support for the coach, including one from Padgett, who was named as Pitino’s interim replacement Sept. 29.
Nothing Pitino’s legal team could do was enough to sway the board.
“We just needed some to digest it, read through the materials and make sure we understood all that he [Pence] had presented,” Postel said.
The board’s vote Monday was expected but still marked a quick end at Louisville for Pitino, whose career with the Cardinals has been marred the past two years with various incidents.
Pitino and Louisville are appealing NCAA penalties levied in June after an investigation into a sex scandal that emerged in October 2015. Escort Katina Powell alleged in a book that former Cardinals staffer Andre McGee hired her and other dancers to strip and have sex with players and recruits in the team’s dormitory from 2010-14.
The NCAA placed Louisville on four years of probation and has ordered up to 123 victories to be vacated from that period, which includes the 2013 title. Pitino received a five-game suspension.
Pitt exhibition for cancer
The Pitt men’s team will play host to Slippery Rock in an exhibition game at 2 p.m. Nov. 4 at Petersen Events Center, Pitt announced Monday. As part of the event, Panthers coach Kevin Stallings and the Oakland Zoo, the team’s student section, will donate $1 to cancer research for every fan in attendance. The Pitt athletic department will add a $5 contribution for every single game ticket purchased.
“We are honored to host this event and to help in the fight against cancer,” Stallings said in a statement. “This will be a great partnership between Pitt athletics, our program, the Oakland Zoo and the American Cancer Society. Our hope is to not only raise a lot of money, but to raise awareness and engage our community. We are fortunate to have a platform through basketball to do this and we want to take full advantage of our opportunity to help those in need.”
The exhibition will be the first public game setting for an overhauled Pitt roster that features 11 new players, including seven freshmen. That unveiling will come against a Slippery Rock team that finished 14-15 last season, including a 10-12 mark in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. In its lone game against a major-conference Division I opponent last season, The Rock lost to Tennessee, 83-48.