Louisville Coach Rick Pitino, 65, was placed on an administrative unpaid leave after a federal investigation into a bribe. Pitino was placed on leave along with athletic director Tom Jurich, who is on paid leave, ABC News reported.

Reasons for the investigation

On Wednesday, Interim University President Greg Postel attended a news conference, where he noted that "It is vital for this university to strictly adhere to the NCAA rules and of course federal law. Failure to do that would be a tacit endorsement of criminal behavior."

Pitino, who had been coaching for four decades, was fired after a federal investigation into the cases of bribery of recruits.

As a result of the investigation, four assistant coaches, the marketing director for Adidas and other people involved in the case, were arrested.

According to the federal prosecutors, three top high school recruits were promised payments of $150,000, provided by Louisville’s partner Adidas, to attend two universities sponsored by Adidas. One of these high schools was Louisville.

On Tuesday night, Pitino stated that he was shocked when told about his accusations and said that "I am committed to taking whatever steps are needed to ensure those responsible are held accountable."

During the investigation, Louisville officials provided the information that Pitino was responsible for the frauds of his program.

Pitino and Louisville are appealing NCAA (The National Collegiate Athletic Association) sanctions which were imposed after sex scandal happened two years ago. That time, several dancers were hired to strip and have sex with the players and teenage recruits in the student dorm. Pitino got a five-game suspension. Louisville had to return money received for three years NCAA tournament appearances.

Louisville had accepted some of its allegations, particularly, about hiring prostitutes to entertain players, the New York Times reported.

What is Pitino famous for?

Pitino, of Long Island, became famous after an improbable Final Four run with Providence 30 years ago. He has 770 wins over 32 seasons, he is 12th in Division I victories list and is the only college coach to win national titles with two different colleges.

Pitino is the nation’s highest-paid college basketball coach getting more than $7 million a year. His contract will finish in 2026, so he potentially owes bonuses and benefits, as well as his salary.
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