A lawsuit filed in United States District Court by former Louisville Cardinals basketball coach Rick Pitino on Thursday sued the school’s athletic association for $38.7 million for breach of his contract.
Rick Pitino sues Louisville for breach of contract
Thomas Joseph-USA TODAY Sports
Pitino was first placed on administrative leave, then fired by Louisville on Oct. 16 amid an FBI investigation involving corruption and alleged illegal payments to recruit Brian Bowen, who was cleared by the FBI but will not play for the Cardinals this season.
A federal indictment suggests Pitino knew of the bribe to Bowen, though Pitino is not specifically named in the indictment.
The lawsuit, against the University of Louisville Athletic Association, seeks liquidated damages of $4.307 million per year through 2026, the length of Pitino’s contract that was terminated in October. The lawsuit claims the firing was without cause.
“(Pitino) had no part whatsover in any scheme to pay the family of a UL recruit, or to otherwise improperly provide benefits to any recruit, as an inducement to join the basketball program,” Steve Pence, Pitino’s lawyer, said in a statement to the Louisville Courier-Journal.
University spokesperson John Karman acknowledged the lawsuit, per the Associated Press, but would not comment.
Pitino also filed a civil suit against Adidas in October for what he called “outrageous conduct in conspiring to funnel money to the family of a college basketball recruit...all without Coach Pitino’s knowledge, participation, or acquiescence.”
Louisville is 4-1 to start the 2017-18 season under interim head coach David Padgett.
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