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Rick Pitino turns down offer to return to Greek team

NCAA Basketball Tournament - Second Round - Michigan v Louisville

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 19: Head coach Rick Pitino of the Louisville Cardinals reacts in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

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Former Louisville and Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino has turned down an offer from Panathinaikos, a European powerhouse that he lead to the Greek League title this season, to become their president and coach, he told ESPN.

Pitino will instead return to the states and pursue a job as a coach or front office member in the NBA. There has also been speculation amongst those in the college ranks that the outcome of the FBI investigation may open doors for Pitino to return to coaching in college.

Pitino is a Naismith Hall of Famer that won titles with both the Wildcats and the Cardinals, but he was fired in 2017 after an FBI investigation revealed that Brian Bowen’s family had agreed to a deal to commit to Louisville in exchange for $100,000. That came just months after Louisville was put on probation and had their 2013 national title banner taken down as a result of a former assistant coach that had provided strippers and prostitutes to players and recruits.