After more than 5 hours of deliberation, the University of Louisville Athletics Association Board has voted unanimously to terminate head coach Rick Pitino.
In a unanimous vote, the University of Louisville athletic association has terminated the employment of basketball coach Rick Pitino.
— Eric Crawford (@ericcrawford) October 16, 2017
Here are some details from WDRB.com:
The move comes less than three weeks after federal investigators tied Pitino’s program to a scheme to pay recruits. A criminal complaint unsealed on September 26 claims that at least one U of L coach took part in a plan to send money from apparel company Adidas to prospective players.
Pitino attorney Steve Pence met for more than one hour with the board during a closed meeting. He told reporters afterwards that the “right thing” is to retain Pitino, saying the board ought to determine that the could could not have known of the alleged criminal scheme.
“He should be brought back,” Pence said. “If the university wants to negotiate for him to leave at a later time, we can talk about that. But this is not the right way to do this”
Interim U of L President Greg Postel placed Pitino on administrative leave a day after the federal investigation was made public, telling the coach in a letter that his and his staff’s participation in the scheme constitute “material violations” of his contract.
Pence had argued in a letter to U of L on September 29 that the university had breached the coach’s contract by, among other things, not giving him an opportunity to respond before he was placed on leave.
Those actions, Pence said, could result in U of L owing Pitino the balance of his contract — more than $40 million.
The resolution from the University of Louisville Athletic Association: pic.twitter.com/fKYEBi2D1o
— Jeff Greer (@jeffgreer_cj) October 16, 2017
