Son of a scandal: Louisville could make the funniest coaching hire of all time

Well, if former Louisville football coach Bobby Petrino can go back to Louisville, and Arkansas, again, who says you can't go home, Richard Pitino? Yes, I have that right. I did not mention Pitino's namesake father Rick Pitino, who is having the time of his life coaching the St. John's Red Storm over in the Big East. However, U of L could only take so much Kenny Payne. Will the New Mexico coach come home?

While Richard Pitino was already leading FIU when the Cardinals won their most recent national title in 2013 (yes, it did happen, and Rick Pitino has the shoulder blade tattoo to prove that it did), there is a certain seven-letter word that you think of when you think of Louisville hoops and The Pitinos. It has everything to do with on-campus shenanigans, brother... Oh brother, why even bother doing this?

I may specialize in covering college football, but Louisville is a college basketball blue-blood, and the Cardinals absolutely sucked. This was the worst team in the ACC, a league the Cardinals should be contending for conference championships with the Dukes and the North Carolinas of the world. Morally, I don't think I can go there with Pitino's son, but Louisville is not a school built on moral fiber.

SI's Pat Forde reported Richard Pitino has had discussions about coming back home to Louisville.

David Padgett ain't walkin' through that door. Chris Mack ain't either, and neither is Mike Pegues...

Louisville interested in hiring Richard Pitino to be men's basketball coach

What is shame, really? To The Pitinos, it has to be the misspelling of the given name Shane. Then again, we do live in a world where athletic departments forgive coaches for all sorts of things, mostly because they are desperate and want to start winning again. If Bobby done wrecked his hog in Fayetteville, only to return a little more than a decade ago, a Pitino can lead them Birds With Teeth!

To be honest, I would rather see John Calipari do the Rick Pitino and leave Kentucky for Louisville. He doesn't need to waste his time in the NBA in between. Been there, done that with the New Jersey Nets. Calipari may not know how to coach his team out of a wet paper bag, but the man can recruit, with or without the help of a bag-man. This Hall of Fame head coach actually cares about his players.

Ultimately, Richard Pitino has earned his next big opportunity. He has done extraordinary things in Alberquerque leading the Lobos. It is his time to take over a Power Six program. While I would stay as far away as possible from Louisville for obvious branding reasons, personal integrity and whatnot, this is a top-15 program all-time and these types of jobs rarely come available. To be a fly on that wall...

I am not the biggest college basketball fan, but this brutal hiring would certainly cut through for me.