Rick Pitino is suing Adidas

In the latest installment of “Louisville sports news I didn’t sign up to write about,” Rick Pitino has filed a federal civil suit against Adidas, claiming damages based on the company’s involvement in his firing.

Pitino claims that he has been “vilified, ridiculed, and criticized in local and national media, on social media, and in public and private communications" as a result of Adidas working to unlawfully get a player to Louisville without his knowledge. The complaint claims that the lawsuit is about more than money, “it is coach Pitino’s vehicle for proving that he had nothing to do with Adidas’ outrageous, wrongful, and illegal conspiracy.”

Here’s Pitino’s full statement to the media about the lawsuit:

Adidas, which cut ties with Pitino on Monday, issued a brief statement on the lawsuit, saying: ““Mr. Pitino's lawsuit is clearly a reaction to his termination yesterday and is without merit."

This lawsuit does not preclude Pitino from also suing the University of Louisville, something that is also likely to take place in the relatively near future.