Rick Pitino settles with Adidas, company he alleges contributed to his downfall at U of L

Tim Sullivan | Louisville Courier Journal

Sixteen months after a federal judge dismissed his lawsuit against Adidas, Rick Pitino has reached a settlement with the company that contributed to his downfall at the University of Louisville.

The terms of the settlement were not released. A joint statement released Monday by the Hall of Fame coach and the global sportswear giant said all issues between the two had been resolved.

“Over 16 years working with Adidas, Coach Pitino demonstrated his passion for basketball and his commitment to excellence both on and off the court,” the statement read. “We wish Coach Pitino the best in his new role as head coach of Panathinaikos, the Greek national team and any future endeavors.”

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Reached via text message Monday morning, Pitino said he had “Nothing to add.” Adidas replied to a request for additional comment with an automated response that said its press office was closed for the holidays.

Pitino sued Adidas in October 2017, within days of his firing at U of L, alleging that the company had “knowingly and recklessly caused him emotional distress when its employees conspired to bribe University of Louisville basketball recruits.”

The bribery allegation, which arose from an FBI investigation of college basketball recruiting, involved Louisville’s late signing of McDonald’s All-American Brian Bowen and a $100,000 payment scheme organized by Adidas employees James Gatto and Merl Code and aspiring sports agent Christian Dawkins. The three men were all sentenced to prison terms, and all three filed appeals last March.

Pitino has maintained that he had no knowledge of the payment scheme, though Bowen’s father testified that he had received a $1,300 payment from former U of L assistant coach Kenny Johnson. Another former U of L assistant coach, Jordan Fair, was also implicated.

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Court filings by Pitino’s attorneys said, "The lawsuit is about more than just money; it is Coach Pitino's vehicle for proving that he had nothing to do with Adidas' outrageous, wrongful, and illegal conspiracy."

Pitino never did get his day in court. Judge David Hale of the Western District of Kentucky sided with the Adidas’ argument that Pitino’s endorsement contract required that the dispute be addressed first through arbitration and in Oregon, where the company’s U.S. operations are headquartered.

Hale also expressed skepticism about Pitino's case against the University of Louisville Athletic Association during a preliminary hearing last April. After attorney Steve Pence argued that the NCAA's finding of a Level 1 violation against Pitino was not the same thing as an actual Level 1 violation, Hale expressed confusion about that concept.

“How does that work?” Hale asked Pence. “. . .I’m trying to follow your argument as best I can.”

Before Hale ruled on a motion that Pitino's case against ULAA be dismissed, Pitino reached a settlement that provided him no financial benefit, only a letter that recharacterized his firing as a resignation. In announcing the settlement, Pence said he had advised against it.

Similarly, Pitino's relationship with Adidas has entailed some mixed signals. Less than two months after Hale dismissed his case agaainst the sportswear company, Pitino agreed to coach an Athens-based team the company sponsors in the EuroLeague. Last month, the New York Post photographed Pitino riding a New York subway in an Adidas warmup suit.

“You know, I don’t hold any animosity toward the company,” Pitino told the Post. “In the grand scheme of things, what Adidas did was extremely hurtful and harmful to my career, doing that behind my back. But you don’t hold the entire company responsible.”

Pitino has since returned to Athens for a second season coaching the Adidas-sponsored Panathinaikos team. He has also agreed to coach the Greek national team as it pursues a qualifying spot for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.