U of L's basketball coach, Rick Pitino - what a sordid mess

[Deb in IA]

does Joanne even live in Louisville these days? It is my understanding she spends a lot of time in New York.

Makes you wonder if she knew about his extramarital activities, and for how long, doesn't it?

And as for her telling him she was pregnant 2 weeks after they had sex, kinda a stretch. I know it's possible, but probably pretty unlikely.

I thought about that too. Why would he believe her after only 2 weeks? My guess is that he realized she was nuts, and just wanted to pay up, hoping that she would just go away.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I am a Louisville fan...have been all my life...will be the rest of it. I absolutely find what Coach Pitino did inexcusable and disgusting...you don't cheat on your wife. Period. But does that make me not want him to be my coach? Absolutely not. Forcing him to resign or firing him would set this program back years...maybe even a decade...

I am a huge Alabama fan. About 10 years ago we had a head football coach that was discovered to be having an affair with his secretary. He was fired, and I supported the move. It took Alabama a long time to recover, but sometimes you have to put values above wins.

The only way that Pitino will stop this behavior is if it costs him something that he values. At this point, the only thing that he seems to value is basketball...

 

[Deb in IA]

Some interesting notes from the Louisville Courier-Journal today:

Contract contains morals clause
Under his contract, Pitino will collect a $3.6 million bonus if he is still coach on July 1, 2010.

That contract allows him to be fired for acts of “moral depravity,” or for being dishonest with the university, or for generating disparaging media publicity, if it is caused by “willful conduct that could objectively be determined to bring (the) employee into public dispute or scandal.”

So-called “morals clauses” are common in contracts of college coaches, and allows them to be fired for inappropriate conduct that is not necessarily criminal, such as visiting a topless bar. That act, for example, led to former Alabama football coach Mike Price's dismissal in 2003 before he ever coached a game for the university.

While an extramarital affair alone is unlikely to trigger a morals clause, giving money for an abortion and being less than completely forthcoming with the university “might be enough,” said Brian Socolow, a New York sports attorney who has written on the subject.

“Coach Pitino may be in some danger,” he said.

Seems to me his behavior certainly qualifies for "willful conduct that brings the employee into . . . scandal".

But it sounds like both the AD and the university president, ultimately Pitino's bosses, have come out in support of him, so likely nothing will happen.

 

[Deb in IA]

I think what really helped Pitino is that this woman is a total nutcase.

She is now claiming that Pitino PAID his equipment assistant, Tim Sypher, to marry her to keep her quiet, and that "the Feds" bugged her home.

Had this woman been more credible, had she not tried to extort $10 million from him, and maybe most importantly, had Pitino NOT been a successful coach, would this have turned out differently?

After all, remember what happened to Larry Eustachy, the Iowa State basketball coach, who was fired after going to a student party, and being photographed apparently kissing 2 coeds:

Not exactly upstanding behavior, but NOTHING to the degree of sordidness of Pitino's actions.

 

[madge]

Makes you wonder if she knew about his extramarital activities, and for how long, doesn't it?

it doesn't make me wonder at all. I've always understood (and it may be wrong, it's just what I've heard through the years) that she hated it here, and was in NY the majority of the time .. so if she wants to be there, and he wants to be here ...

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

Because it makes it hard to recruit players when he's sitting at the dinner table trying to convince mom and dad that he will take good care of their little boy.

Oh please..."little boy"??? I expect my 18+ year old children to be big boys and girls. What he did in his own private marriage was wrong but I don't think it defines him as a person and a coach.

What's making this a big story is this woman's attempt at extortion and her nutcase stories, not that he committed adultery with her once or twice. The fact that it's a big story is HER doing, not his. I just don't think it warrants firing.

I've always understood (and it may be wrong, it's just what I've heard through the years) that she hated it here, and was in NY the majority of the time .. so if she wants to be there, and he wants to be here ...

I don't think that excuses what he did AT ALL, BUT...if my DH had a career that took him somewhere else, I'd expect my family to be going with him. Unless I had my own career elsewhere, and we worked out a good plan to spend time together as a couple and a family. People get lonely.