Just read that Pitt may try to use Stallings' smack talk to the Louisville fans ("at least we didn't pay $100,000 for a player..") as their "cause" for the firing. They are reportedly offering around $4.9 million, or roughly half of his actual buyout. I just don't see that working. If it was that big of a deal, why didn't they suspend him or do something when he did it.
Pitt is in a bad situation. Bad hire two years ago. Basketball program is a mess. Fired the coach and are trying to find a way to reduce the buyout, but with what cause? If I were Stallings or his lawyers, I'd say "pay me the $9.4 million....period." Besides being a jerk, which apparently was already well known at Vandy, he apparently didn't cheat or break any rules. The team had its highest GPA in years. He was just an awful hire who didn't win games, ran off players and was a jerk.
Pitt needs to own their mistake and pay the guy. It looks bad enough that they fired him after two years. Now they are going to try and job him of his buyout? Who is going to want to coach there? (Obviously someone will, but it doesn't paint a pretty picture.)
