Louisville Officially Fires Rick Pitino
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP/CBS) —Rick Pitino is done at Louisville.
Louisville's Athletic Association has officially fired coach Rick Pitino nearly three weeks after the school acknowledged that its men's basketball 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 to oust the longtime Cardinals coach following a board meeting Monday.
The association on Oct. 2 authorized university interim President Greg Postel to begin the process of firing Pitino for cause after Postel placed him on unpaid administrative leave Sept. 27.
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.
The move Monday officially ends Pitino's 16-year tenure with the program, a run that included winning the 2013 NCAA championship but was tarnished by several embarrassing off-court incidents. The Hall of Famer also won a title at Kentucky in 1996 and racked up a 770-271 record in his 30-plus years on the bench, which included stops at Boston University and Providence.
Pitino failed miserably when he jumped from Kentucky to the NBA in 1997, leading the Celtics to a 102-146 record in his three-plus seasons in Boston. He abruptly quit after a 12-22 start in the 2000-01 season, months after he ripped Boston for its negativity.
Pitino was the highest-paid coach in college basketball, making $7.8 million a year.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
