I have known Rick Pitino since 1991 after first meeting him during the second semester of my freshman year at Kentucky. I will not profess to ever being very close to him, but having several friends on his teams, working his summer camps, and then covering the team on a professional basis, we were on a first-name basis during his time in Lexington.
I respected him as a basketball coach and motivator. I also admired the way he treated his players once they graduated. He always seemed to have their best interest in mind, provided of course, they stayed the course and did things his way.
Now having said that, I believe Coach P fell way short on his attempted apology Wednesday evening in Louisville.
Instead of throwing himself at the mercy of the Cardinals fans and the local community, Pitino seemed to give the impression that because this event happened six years ago, it wasn't a big deal. If it weren't a big deal, there wouldn't be a need for an apology, right?
And what exactly did 9/11 have to do with his affair? I am hoping the analogy he was trying to make didn't exactly come out right. Despite being one of the most confident and cocky men I have ever known, I am certain he was quite nervous standing in front of those microphones and cameras. The scene wasn't exactly a post-game news conference.
Again, I still believe this matter is a private one between the Pitino and Sypher families. However, if you are going to go public with your apology don't half-ass by trying to deflect blame or looking for excuses.
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