LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – Rick Pitino’s lawyer said on April 3 the former UofL coach is not a candidate for the University of Rhode Island Men’s Basketball job.
Pitino’s lawyer, Steve Pence, did not say if he was ever considered for the position.
A URI spokesperson denies the school reached out to Pitino at all.
GoLocalProv posted a story on April 2, saying the athletic director at the Rhode Island university had come to a rough agreement with Pitino to be the head coach for the men's basketball team. The article goes on to say URI President David Dooley "shot down" the hiring.
The university claims GoLocalProv's story is false and requests the story be removed.
Below is a full statement from the University of Rhode Island on the article:
"On Monday, April 2,2018, GoLocalProv posted a story claiming, " President Dooley kills hiring of Pitino atURI." This story is false. University President David M. Dooley and Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn have not spoken with Rick Pitino. Athletic Director Bjorn never presented an offer to President Dooley related to Rick Pitino. TheUniversity takes journalistic integrity very seriously and denies the validity of this story in its entirety. The University has requested the story be removed from the GoLocalProv website."