Rick Pitino Should Revaluate His Priorities

This happens more often than it should — a successful politician who has built a solid reputation based on “moral fortitude and leadership ability” holds himself to a different set of standards and is exposed as a fraud. We’ve come to expect this kind of behavior from politicians. But what about when it happens to a successful coach? What are we supposed to think then?

Rick Pitino’s legacy is at risk. The once revered Louisville coach is now at the center of an extortion plot that has so many twists and turns, and he said she said curve balls, it could be made into a Lifetime movie.

He spoke out last Wednesday and expressed that this whole situation has been “pure hell” for him and his family, blaming the media for putting him in the spotlight under false pretenses. He lashed out at reporters and said the truth will come out at the trial. In other words, he’s the victim.

Unfortunately, this sounds painfully familiar. The truth always comes out at the trial. But my question is this. Wouldn’t it have been better for all parties involved if the truth had been told all along? If Pitino did sleep around, why didn’t he just tell his wife. Why did he let it go as far as extortion? Why did he try to hide from his mistakes — a lesson he preaches about in his own book?

It’s clear to me where Pitino’s priorities are at. According to the National Sports Review, he was quoted as saying, “We need to get on with the important things in life like the economy and really some crucial things in life like basketball.”

Basketball is crucial? What about family?

I can’t say that I’m surprised. Today’s society seems to make people believe that social standing is what matters most, and the rest of it can take a back seat. The sad thing about Pitino is that he cares more about how “this looks” in the media, and how it will affect his basketball career than anything else.

For a man who often speaks out about responsibility and priorities, I think Pitino needs to heed his own advice.

Here’s a video clip from Pitino’s press conference last Wednesday: