Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Rick Pitino says something really, really, really dumb

A couple of weeks ago, Rick Pitino compared Pitt and Syracuse leaving the Big East to The Godfather.

That worked. Today's didn't.

"My problem is not them leaving," Pitino said to reporters at today's Big East media day. "My problem is you did it in 48 hours. Don't run away with a girl after one date when you've been dating someone else for three or four years. You've been dating this woman for 30 years, show a little respect."


Pitino probably couldn't have made a worse analogy. If you've forgotten, he stepped out on his wife of 27 years for a (brief) sexual encounter with a woman named Karen Sypher, who promptly attempted to extort him. I know Pitino hasn't forgotten about it; he went through a very long, very drawn out and very public trial that revealed a number of embarrassing details about his one-night tryst. It nearly cost him his family.

The unfortunate part is that his message -- which actually makes sense -- is going to get lost in his delivery. Pitt and Syracuse did sneak out the back door of the Big East in the middle of the night. Their defection, while understandable and probably the smart move, stings those still in the league because there was no warning. The league Pitt and Syracuse shared for over 30 years found out because Brett McMurphy and Pete Thamel are good at their job.

Pick your words more carefully next time, Rick.

As an aside, for people that enjoy trolls reveling in their douchebaggery, check out the comment section here and here. My favorite: "I think he is suffering dementia from late stage syperhillis."

1 comment:

Kyle said...

As a huge Kentucky homer, I've never really understand the outright hatred for Pitino. Yes he went to Louisville, however they've always been little brother and no one even remembers their last national title, but he is also the coach that brought Kentucky back from the abyss and has a history here that only Rupp can surpass. I understand hating on Duke, but getting after Pitino only drops us down a notch... I would rather crack on someone like Calhoun or Williams, coaches at programs that actually matter.