You’d think that getting inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame would buy you at least a month before getting heckled in an interview, but that isn’t the case for Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino.
During an interview on a local Boston radio station on Thursday, radio show host Fred Toucher had one thing to say to Pitino: “You stink!” Listen here.
Fred: We are joined by Rick Pitino, former coach of the Celtics, current coach of the Louisville Cardinals who won the national championship. Rick Pitino, hello!
Pitino: Morning, guys.
Fred: You stink. You ruined the Celtics.
As soon as Toucher delivered his heart-warming message to Pitino, he hung up on the coach without giving him an opportunity to respond (although it’s likely that Pitino would have hung up himself after getting past the initial shock). It’s not like anyone keeps a record on radio interview lengths, but if they did, that would definitely go down in the books as the shortest radio interview ever.
While there are some basketball fans out there who probably got a chuckle out of the interview, it’s pretty sad that the station wasted their time and Pitino’s with this. Pitino has been busy promoting his new book, “One-Day Contract,” plus the coach of the 2013 NCAA Tournament winners has been on the road recruiting.
And just in case anyone is wondering, Pitino hasn’t coached for the Boston Celtics since 2001. Pitino didn’t have a successful run there, true, but the Celtics have won an NBA Championship and several division titles since Pitino’s departure.
Some Twitter users think people are making too big of a deal over the radio host’s comments, but most people agree that it was a classless move. What do you think? Add your comments below.
Do you know how hard it is to get a guy like Rick Pitino on a local radio show? That station should be embarrassed.
— Gary Parrish (@GaryParrishCBS) October 3, 2013
The guys on that Boston-area radio station should be embarrassed. That's a pathetic joke. Clearly some true professionals working there.
— Anthony Wireman (@awireman) October 3, 2013
I'm so surprised that someone named Toucher is a douche on the radio: http://t.co/xo7pfM9lB3
— Stacey G (@The_Stace) October 3, 2013
