Rick Pitinoâs ouster leaves Louisville dazed from scandal fatigue
Rick Pitino
Rick Pitino   the masterful coach first lured to this basketball-besotted state in 1989 to heal somebody elseâs scandal  finally toppled 28 years later Wednesday in the gusts of the latest scandal in  his  own program. By the time the University of Louisville placed  him  on unpaid administrative leave and shut off  his  access to a promising 17th season â  he  previously coached the University of Kentucky from 1989 to 1997 â it left a city woozy with scandal fatigue.
 Pitino  expressed dismay and surprise at the allegations Tuesday  just as  he  had after the revelations that former Louisville assistant Andre McGee had paid a Louisville escort to entertain the Cardinalsâ players and recruits.
âThese allegations come as a complete shock to me â  Pitino  said in a statement released Tuesday. âIf true  I agree with the U.S. Attorneyâs 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.â
The menâs basketball program is already under NCAA probation for the 2015 scandal.  Pitino  faced a five-game suspension during the upcoming season as part of the penalties; in addition  Louisville was ordered to return money received for NCAA tournament appearances from 2012 through 2015 and to vacate 123 wins during that period  including the 2013 national championship. The university has appealed the ruling.
 Pitino  found success at nearly every NCAA stop  he  made in a coaching career that began in the mid-1970s. At Boston University   his  first head coaching job   he  led the Terriers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 24 years.  Pitino  parlayed that success into a two-year run at Providence  where  he  guided the Friars to the 1987 Final Four.
Then  after a two-year run coaching the New York Knicks   he  left  his  dream NBA job in 1989 to take over at tradition-rich but scandal-plagued Kentucky  even though the Wildcats would be banned from live television in  his  first season and from the NCAA tournament in  his  first two seasons.
After that  however   Pitino  quickly had Kentucky back among the nationâs elite  with a memorable Elite Eight appearance in the Wildcatsâ first post-probation season in 1992 and a Final Four bid the season after that   his  first of three appearances in the national semifinals at the school. In 1996   he  led Kentucky to its first national title in 18 years.
After an unsuccessful four-year run as coach and team president of the Boston Celtics   he  was back at another faded Kentucky power: Louisville  which had not won an NCAA tournament game in Denny Crumâs last four seasons.
[TGT]    the masterful coach first lured to this basketball-besotted state in 1989 to heal somebody elseâs scandal  finally toppled 28 years later Wednesday in the gusts of the latest scandal in  his  own program. By the time the University of Louisville placed  him  on unpaid administrative leave and shut off  his  access to a promising 17th season â  he  previously coached the University of Kentucky from 1989 to 1997 â it left a city woozy with scandal fatigue.
  [TGT] expressed dismay and surprise at the allegations Tuesday  just as   [TGT]   had after the revelations that former Louisville assistant Andre McGee had paid a Louisville escort to entertain the Cardinalsâ players and recruits.
âThese allegations come as a complete shock to me â   [TGT] said in a statement released Tuesday. âIf true  I agree with the U.S. Attorneyâs 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.â
The menâs basketball program is already under NCAA probation for the 2015 scandal.   [TGT] faced a five-game suspension during the upcoming season as part of the penalties; in addition  Louisville was ordered to return money received for NCAA tournament appearances from 2012 through 2015 and to vacate 123 wins during that period  including the 2013 national championship. The university has appealed the ruling.
  [TGT] found success at nearly every NCAA stop   [TGT]   made in a coaching career that began in the mid-1970s. At Boston University    [TGT]   first head coaching job    [TGT]   led the Terriers to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 24 years.   [TGT] parlayed that success into a two-year run at Providence  where   [TGT]   guided the Friars to the 1987 Final Four.
Then  after a two-year run coaching the New York Knicks    [TGT]   left   [TGT]   dream NBA job in 1989 to take over at tradition-rich but scandal-plagued Kentucky  even though the Wildcats would be banned from live television in   [TGT]   first season and from the NCAA tournament in   [TGT]   first two seasons.
After that  however    [TGT] quickly had Kentucky back among the nationâs elite  with a memorable Elite Eight appearance in the Wildcatsâ first post-probation season in 1992 and a Final Four bid the season after that    [TGT]   first of three appearances in the national semifinals at the school. In 1996    [TGT]   led Kentucky to its first national title in 18 years.
After an unsuccessful four-year run as coach and team president of the Boston Celtics   he  was back at another faded Kentucky power: Louisville  which had not won an NCAA tournament game in Denny Crumâs last four seasons.