Why is Mike Anderson suing St. John's men's basketball? Contract and firing allegations explored

Former St. John’s men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson says he was unjustly fired and is now suing the school. Anderson claims St. John’s only fired him "for cause" to avoid paying his contract money so they could use the money to hire new coach Rick Pitino. St. John's avoided paying the remaining amount of Anderson's contract by claiming the termination was for a justifiable cause.

How much is Mike Anderson suing for?

Anderson is seeking $45.6 million from St. John's. He had $11.4 million remaining on his contract and is seeking an additional $34.2 million for punitive damages.

St. John’s made headlines by hiring legendary coach Rick Pitino, who was rehabbing his career at Iona after being fired from Louisville amidst multiple scandals.

Pitino was fired by Louisville after an investigation into his team’s recruiting practices, including the hiring of escorts. His team’s recruitment of Brian Bowen was also under federal investigation. Pitino was eventually cleared of wrongdoing by authorities and he sued Louisville for the remaining amount of his contract. The case was settled two years ago.

Pitino was named the coach of St. John's on March 20. Anderson claims St. John's pursued Pitino starting on the day he was fired which was March 10. Pitino’s contract details with St. John's were not made public. Reports say the contract is for six years and worth $20 million.

St. John’s claimed Anderson was fired for cause, thus releasing them from any obligation to pay Anderson the rest of his contract.

According to the school, Anderson was fired for "failure to create and support an environment that strongly encourages student-athletes who are in the men's basketball program to meet all university academic requirements," "failure to perform your duties and responsibilities in a manner that reflected positively on St. John's University... in actions [that] brought serious discredit" to the school, and "failure to appropriately supervise and communicate with your assistant coaches."

Anderson was offered a buyout for less than the $11.4 million on his contract before he was fired. He turned down the offer and was then fired "for cause," thus receiving no money.

St. John’s disputes all of Anderson’s claims and is willing to fight in court. The case will go to arbitration.

Anderson had a record of 68-56 in his four seasons at St. John’s. His team never made the NCAA Tournament during those four years. Anderson previously coached at Arkansas, Missouri, and UAB.