After 16 years, a national championship, and 416 wins, Rick Pitino left the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team following the 2016-17 NCAA season. Pitino won his second NCAA title with the Cardinals (first since 1996 when he was with Kentucky), leaving his mark on the program’s history.
He was fired eight years ago after an alleged “pay for play” scandal. He took over the Iona Gaels men’s basketball team from 2020 through 2023. The last two years, Pitino has led the St. John’s Red Storm to a 51-18 record, a regular season championship, conference tournament championship and the NCAA tournament.
While he continues his honored career, his exit from Louisville remains a topic of discussion around the competition. Talking with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on Monday, Pitino explained he had a lot of problems with the university.
Rick Pitino makes his thoughts clear on potential return to Louisville
“Well, I think I had a lot of problems with the University of Louisville, and there are certain things I’ll never forgive that they did,“ Pitino said.
Rick Pitino
He clarified that it was more with the people in charge of making the decisions. He specifically said he condemned the treatment Tom Jurich, the Cardinals’ Athletic director, received after he was fired.
“But that had nothing to do with the present administration of the University of Louisville because the people that I was upset about are no longer board of trustees,” Pitino continued. “And I wasn’t really upset that they fired me. Anybody can be fired, I’m okay with that. It was the treatment they gave Tom Jurich. But just recently, they named the street outside of the practice facility Tom Jurich way. So all is forgiven, all is forgotten. I no longer even think the slightly bit negatively about the University of Louisville. I will go back in a New York minute.”
Pitino is doing an excellent job at St. John’s. It remains to be seen if he ever returns to the KFC Yum Center to coach the Cardinals.
