UPDATE (1:10 p.m. ET): Louisville announced in a press conference Wednesday that men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich have been placed on administrative leave without pay.
ORIGINAL STORY: Rick Pitino has brought a lot of success to Kentucky’s two major college basketball programs — Kentucky and Louisville — since he took over as the leader of the Wildcats in 1990. But it appears that success has ended.
College athletics were hit with bombshell allegations Tuesday, as widespread corruption charges led to 10 arrests, including four assistant coaches. One of the schools at the center of the chaos was Louisville, leading to the firing of Pitino and athletic director Tom Jurich on Wednesday.
While there’s a whole host of issues more important than Pitino’s legacy, the seemingly now former Cardinals head coach still has his number retired at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena. And it appears Kentucky has no immediate plans to take it down, according to a statement from UK deputy director of athletics DeWayne Peevey to the Courier-Journal.
“There is no current procedure in place to remove individuals from the UK Athletics Hall of Fame or from the rafters in Rupp Arena,” Peevey told the Courier-Journal. “The UK Athletics Hall of Fame honors individuals for their contributions to the University of Kentucky athletics department. At this time, there are no conversations as it relates to the removal of any individual.”
So while Pitino appears headed for unemployment, all signs point to his Kentucky number being safe.
Thumbnail photo via Thomas Joseph/USA TODAY Sports Images
