Rick Pitino Not Coming to Samford Law

We don’t know who Rick Pitino is — his Wikipedia entry suggests he’s a college basketball coach — or why he’s important. We don’t know anything about sports. Elie, come back from vacation; we need you!
What we do know, and what makes Rick Pitino relevant for these pages, is that he was supposed to speak at Cumberland School of Law at Samford University — until his appearance was canceled. The law school administration sent out this brief message:

Coach Pitino and Samford University have mutually agreed to cancel the luncheon scheduled for September 10, 2009 at the Harbert Center. If you have already made payment for this event, your check will be returned to you.

Many readers alerted us to this development (which is why we decided to write about it). One tipster told us:

Cumberland School of Law at Samford University was going to have Coach Pitino visit next month. Normally, this may not be a big deal, but Samford is a Baptist School. It could have been an interesting luncheon…

If you know (or care) more about Rick Pitino than we do, read more at Deadspin and NPR.
Rick Pitino Deemed Unworthy Of Samford Law School’s Leadership Luncheon [Deadspin]
Rick Pitino Embroiled In Extortion Case [NPR]

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