Louisville is moving cautiously because of the language contained in the contracts of Pitino and Jurich. Pitino’s contract says he must be given 10 days’ written notice of his termination, which only can be decided by a vote of the Louisville athletic department’s Board of Directors, and that Pitino must be allowed to “present evidence” in his defense over that 10-day span. Depending on the cause of his dismissal, Jurich may have to be given 30 days’ notice of his dismissal, according to WRDB’s Chris Otts.
But the school’s intention is clear: Pitino is out. The coach’s attorney, Steve Pence, told the Louisville Courier-Journal ahead of the news conference that Pitino had been “effectively fired.” When asked if he was “cleaning house” at the news conference, Postel said “that’s effectively what we’re doing.” J. David Grissom, chairman of the Louisville Board of Trustees, said Wednesday the board unanimously supported Postel’s decision to take action.
Both officials expressed their disappointment at the turn of events Wednesday. Postel said he was “more angry than embarrassed,” while Grissom said it wasn’t “a happy day for the university.”
Though he was unnamed in the legal complaint issued Tuesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, one of the government’s allegations against Louisville is believed to center on an incoming basketball recruit named Brian Bowen, who surprised many (including Pitino) when he announced his intention to play for the Cardinals in June. According to the complaint, Bowen agreed to attend the school only after an Adidas executive named Jim Gatto promised to pay the player’s family $100,000, and he had matriculated in the school when the academic year began.
On Wednesday, Postel said an unnamed player would be withheld from team activities. That player is believed to be Bowen. Postel also announced that the school would work quickly — “within 48 hours” — to install an interim coach and athletic director.
“These allegations come as a complete shock to me,” Pitino said in a statement released by Pence on Tuesday. “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.”
But Louisville officials needed less than 24 hours to find that Pitino ultimately was responsible for the alleged misdeeds of his program.