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Rick Pitino reacts to Louisville news: ‘I believe the championship banner will be hung again
By Corey Long
Published:
It was a day of vindication for former Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino after the Independent Accountability Resolution Process did not place the program under major sanctions over the recruitment of Brian Bowen.
Pitino, now the head coach at Iona University, said that the panel showed a commitment to due process and believes the Cardinals 2013 NCAA Championship banner will be raised again.
“You don’t take championships away,” Pitino said. “You can’t rewrite history. We won the championship. No, we did not use steroids. We did not steal signs. We did not do anything illegal to gain an advantage of the game of basketball. We beat Michigan with great defense — an outstanding, well-coached Michigan team. We beat Wichita State — an outstanding, well-coached team — with hard work ethic, great defense, unselfish offense, and my players should be commended. They are champions. You can’t take that away from them.”
Pitino also spoke of the respect he had for former Louisvllle athletic director Tom Jurich and the regret that Jurich had to resign.
“Tom Jurich, and if you take 1,000 athletic directors — and you all know that listening to me — 999 would have fired me, and I don’t blame them for doing so. Tom Jurich said, ‘I could not sleep at night if I let you go,’ and that’s the biggest regret I have looking back on the situation.”
Pitino has won national championships at Kentucky and Louisville. His third season with Iona will begin Monday with the Gaels host Penn.
Corey Long is a freelance writer for SaturdayDownSouth.com. Follow Corey on Twitter @CoreyLong.
