The Alabama Crimson Tide are looking for a new head basketball coach now that Avery Johnson is on his way out with a settlement. Naturally, former Louisville coach Rick Pitino has been mentioned among the potential replacements.
When asked about the chatter, Pitino chose to once more proclaim he never did anything improper at Louisville (or anywhere else), rather than directly respond to that line of questioning.
“The only thing I can say with my broken record is that in my 30+ years as a head coach I’ve never cut a dirty deal or gave any improper benefits to any athletes,” Pitino said, per Adam Zagoria of the New York Times (on Twitter). “All you have to do is ask my over 30 assistants who have become head coaches or any player that has played for me.”
Pitino exited his job at Louisville in disgrace in 2017. During his watch, Louisville’s basketball team was involved in an escort sex scandal. Then he was implicated in a federal investigation into student athletes who received bribes, and he’s been accused of taking a ton of money from Adidas as part of that whole ordeal.
Needless to say, any school that even entertains Pitino is going to have some serious questions to answer. Which is why it’s not all that surprising that he felt the need to answer a question about a job opening by defending his past.
For what it’s worth, Alabama isn’t the only school that’s been mentioned as a potential landing spot for Pitino, who has spent the past few months coaching in Europe.