Pitino Says NCAA Enforcement Should be Disbanded

Between issues with NIL and the transfer portal, St. John's coach Rick Pitino said the NCAA's enforcement arm needs to go.

St. John’s men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino has had it with the NCAA’s enforcement arm, calling it a "joke” in a recent interview with USA Today.

Pitino is in his first season with the Red Storm, the perfect fit for the New York-born coach. But, like every other college coach in the land, he’s trying to navigate Name, Image and Likeness with his players.

Pitino has no issue with NIL. But he does have issues with how the NCAA is enforcing its rules.

"I think the NCAA enforcement staff just should be disbanded. It's a joke. Not because I dislike them. But they're of no value anymore," Pitino said.

The NCAA is mired in a group of lawsuits and investigations related to a variety of issues. The most recent is the NCAA’s announcement that it is investigating Tennessee for what it considers NIL violations in player recruitment. In response, the state of Tennessee, along with the state of Virginia, is suing the NCAA and challenging its ban on NIL.

Those bans were suspended after the NCAA vs. Alston decision opened the door for players to advantage of NIL.

The transfer portal is a significant issue as well. The NCAA is once again examining transfer windows and rules, including the possibility of ending the waiver process, which has caused scores of college student-athletes either have to sit out a year or take the NCAA to court in order to play this year.

If the waiver process goes away, well, Pitino knows what will happen next. In fact, to him it’s already happening.

“It’s a very difficult time in college basketball because it’s free agency,” Pitino said. “And now I think what’s going to happen is, they’re going to say everybody can transfer, and then if they don’t like it, they’re going to take ’em to court.”

The fact is, it’s already happening and the court cases will continue until one side finally, and ultimately, wins.