After settlement, Rick Pitino can leave a positive legacy in Louisville

The University of Louisville and former men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino reached an agreement on Wednesday after a legal battle that spanned nearly two years.

It’s finally over. The University of Louisville Athletic Association and Rick Pitino agreed to part ways on Wednesday after a 22-month legal battle in which Pitino was suing the University.

Pitino, who was fired “for just cause” in October of 2017, filed a lawsuit five weeks later against the university, sending the two parties into a stubborn-fueled feud full of child-like finger-pointing that was an overall terrible look for both the school and the hall of fame head coach.

Pitino’s lawyers wanted the remainder of the $38.7 million on his contract paid in full citing that he “never has had any part —active, passive, or through willful ignorance —in any effort, successful or unsuccessful, completed or abandoned, to pay any recruit, or any family member of a recruit, or anyone else on a recruit’s behalf, as an inducement to attend the University of Louisville.”

Though Pitino, understandably, would want to fight to right his name, in the process, he threw former employers under the bus and denied having any part in three scandals that ultimately rocked the University of Louisville and officially stripped them of hundreds of wins, two final fours, and a national title.

Since leaving Louisville, Pitino spent a year as the head coach of Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos, seemingly auditioning for a high-level college or NBA coaching job down the line.

Before his firing, Pitino was at the top of his game. He was bringing in one of his better-recruiting classes in his time at Louisville and was consistently putting talented players in the NBA. Based on his career achievements and accolades alone, Pitino certainly deserved another chance.

However, no school or organization is going to hire a coach that is still amid litigation with his employer of 17 years.

That realization struck Pitino and his team this week, and after two long years of embarrassing back-and-forth, the right thing was done for all parties involved.

Sure, the $38 million and change would have been nice, but based on the installments Louisville was going to have to pay him in, the 67-year-old coach would be long gone before he saw all of that money.

This is a legacy move by a coach that wants to get back to doing what he loves: coaching basketball at the highest level.

The relationship between Pitino and the city and university will need some time to heal. But at least now, that healing process can begin.

Pitino brought 416 wins, 6 conference championships, three final fours, and a national title to a school that already had a championship pedigree. The one-time savior for Kentucky basketball in the 90’s, his reception was not a completely welcomed one when he took over as the coach for their hated arch-rivals.

Pitino earned the trust of the fans and the university, and through his career, he was loved by his players and coaches. His successes led him to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.

Pitino’s legacy will be defined by some with an asterisk, but with the settlement- one that will cost the university nothing in exchange for his departure being classified as a “resignation”- can finally cast a positive light upon Pitino’s legacy. In the end, that seems to be all Pitino ever wanted.