There is an expectation that University of Louisville men’s basketball head coach Rick Pitino will be fired on Wednesday after a report of the school’s involvement in an NCAA corruption scandal, according to Michael Eaves of ESPN. Pitino has told members of his coaching staff he believes he will lose his job.
Louisville athletic director Tom Jurich could also be on his way out.
This is only hours after Rick Pitino claimed ignorance regarding the entire situation.
Earlier, it was reported that the United States Department of Justice has zeroed in on 10 people, including four college basketball assistants in its investigation of anomalous recruitment processes, and while Pitino’s name has not been mentioned as of yet, he might have thought it’s just right that he releases a statement immediately.
“These allegations come as a complete shock to me. If true, I agree with the U.S. Attorney’s Office that these third-party schemes, initiated by a few bad actors, operated to commit a fraud on the impacted universities and their basketball programs, including the University of Louisville. Our fans and supporters deserve better and I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
This isn’t the first time that Louisville basketball has been dragged to controversy under Pitino’s watch. Just last June, the NCAA had announced its suspension of the head coach for the first five conference games of the upcoming season in relation to the program’s prostitution scandal in 2013.
This would be, if true, a weird end to one of the best coaching careers in the sport's history.
Rick Pitino fired. What a time to be alive.
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