Tim Sullivan

Louisville Courier Journal

Rick Pitino has the right to remain silent and a compulsion to have the last word.

The University of Louisville’s Hall of Fame basketball coach is not the type for tactical retreats or strategic silence. If Saturday’s game at Virginia is to be his last at U of L -- the odds are against it, but shift hourly -- Pitino has been taking pains to make himself heard on the way out.

His senior night speech Tuesday night was notable for the assertion that all of Louisville’s coaches are “extremely compliant” with NCAA rules, a curious claim in the midst of an NCAA investigation in which the university has already admitted to serious violations.

Thursday, Pitino dismissed U of L trustee Emily Bingham as a “hater” on his blog for referencing his 2003 liaison with Karen Sypher in the context of criticizing University President Dr. James Ramsey’s alleged failure to provide “clear, forceful condemnation” of sexual misconduct by employees and players.

Louisville's finale difficult for many reasons

"That trustee would be better served trying to get a dysfunctional board on some form of a team," Pitino wrote. "I'll make a suggestion to the person I have not met: let God judge and get out of your glass house."

Whoa.

Though it is easy to understand Pitino being defensive, even defiant, as investigators explore the explosive allegations of escort/author Katina Powell, he might be better served to keep his distance and to hold his tongue for the time being. If he cannot allow the process to play out without picking unpromising fights on matters of morality, maybe he ought to ask himself if hanging on is worth the hassle. Taking issue with a female board member for expressing qualms about sexual misconduct is a bad look on your best day.

That said, the idea Pitino would voluntarily leave U of L with the Powell mess unresolved runs contrary to his professed leanings and his feisty personality. And though the scandal has exacted an emotional and physical toll, it has also provided Pitino with a powerful incentive to change the subject, to protect his legacy and to script a more suitable exit.

Moreover, the prospect of an April vote of no confidence in Ramsey, and the possibility that the embattled president might be induced to resign before then, could strengthen Pitino’s political standing on campus. If Ramsey was once viewed as an obstacle to Pitino staying - as some of the coach’s friends perceived - that hurdle does not seem quite so high anymore. (Thanks, in part, to Emily Bingham.)

Since Pitino’s contract still has 10 years remaining and carries a cumulative price tag in the $50 million range, it’s unlikely that he could be pushed out absent proof of direct involvement or knowledge of Powell’s sex parties. To date, no evidence to that effect has been made public. Nor is any such evidence likely to surface.

"I am deeply convinced that the NCAA findings will clear Coach Rick Pitino of any knowledge of the alleged scandal," U of L Board of Trustees chairman Larry Benz said in a prepared statement on Friday. "Our genuine hope is that Coach Pitino is our coach for as many years as he wants. We join our Athletic Director, Tom Jurich, in our complete support of him."

Much as college basketball invites cynicism, and its financial stakes encourage corruption, it’s hard to imagine a coach of Pitino’s stature being complicit in a multi-year arrangement with so much downside risk and so many potential witnesses. Even a coach inclined to cut corners recognizes when a momentary lapse becomes a long-term liability.

Should Pitino have known about Powell's parties? Probably.

Was he lax in his supervision of former director of basketball operations Andre McGee? Probably.

Was McGee a rogue assistant acting alone? Doubtful.

What’s the appropriate punishment? That depends on what investigators discover.

What Rick Pitino must assess is the extent of the problem and the length of the process. If McGee had accomplices within the basketball program, what does that say about the man at the top? If the NCAA investigation has uncovered other issues within the basketball program, what does that say about the timetable for adjudication and potential sanctions?

Yet even if the issues are isolated and the damage can be contained, Rick Pitino has to ask himself is he’s prepared to spend another season beneath an unflattering spotlight. In a glass house.

Tim Sullivan can be reached at (502) 582-4650, tsullivan@courier-journal.com or @TimSullivan714 on Twitter.