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Pitino reached out to NBA teams, but now isn't considering coaching

Thomas Joseph / USA TODAY Sports

Rick Pitino isn't pursuing another coaching job.

In an interview with Jeff Greer of the Louisville Courier Journal, the disgraced former Louisville coach who was fired in the aftermath of the Adidas pay-for-play scandal spoke definitively about his future plans, which don't involve suiting up on the sideline.

"I'm not considering coaching, period," he said.

Closing the door on a return to coaching is a change of heart for the 65-year-old. Pitino wrote in his new memoir "Pitino: My Story" that he reached out to NBA teams that had openings following his dismissal from the Cardinals.

"Since leaving Louisville, my agent has reached out when NBA openings have surfaced," Pitino wrote. "We couldn't even get an interview. I can't blame the general managers who turned me down. Louisville fired me so abruptly, it instantly created the impression that I must be guilty of something."

Pitino now plans to be a consultant for around 20 college programs across the country, assisting coaches with planning and preparation, according to Greer.

"All I'm interested in doing right now is motivating young athletes and programs and coaches, try to help them out, and try to stay active in the game in that way," Pitino said.

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