Mike Anderson needs $45.6 million from St. John’s after firing

Mike Anderson is looking for $45.6 million {dollars} from St. John’s after they unceremoniously fired him in March.

Anderson, 63, whom St. John’s fired “for trigger” in an effort to keep away from paying him the cash left on his deal, had been planning to fight the decision within the days after shedding his job.

ESPN reported Thursday that Anderson’s lawyer, John Singer of Singer Deutsch, filed a “discover of arbitration” looking for the $11.4 million remaining on his contract, plus $34.2 million in “punitive” damages.

St. John’s replaced Anderson with 70-year-old Rick Pitino.

Anderson claimed within the swimsuit that St. John’s was already having critical talks with Pitino when he was fired, that he continued to signify this system in a “firstclass method” after signing a brand new deal in 2021 and that firing him for trigger was a part of a technique focusing “on marshaling and amalgamating sufficient belongings” to pay Pitino.

“St. John’s manufactured out of complete fabric its preposterous ‘for trigger’ termination of Mr. Anderson’s employment with the only function of making an attempt to extricate the College from its $11.4 million ironclad contractual obligation to Mr. Anderson, particularly in order that it may in any other case divert these funds to Pitino,” the submitting claimed.

“We dispute the wildly inaccurate claims being reported within the media and can vigorously defend these claims in arbitration,” St. John’s stated in an announcement in response to the arbitration submitting.

When the college fired Anderson, the coach was despatched a discover of termination that alleged a “failure to carry out your duties and obligations in a fashion that mirrored positively on St. John’s College … in actions [that] introduced critical discredit” to St. John’s, plus a “failure to appropriately supervise and talk together with your assistant coaches.” 

Sources advised The Put up’s Zach Braziller that the tradition beneath Anderson in recent times had deteriorated considerably.

There have been repeated disciplinary points and two gamers — Rafael Pinzon and Andre Curbelo — had been suspended this previous season.

At his introductory press convention, Rick Pitino stated he didn’t get optimistic evaluations of most of the gamers in this system.

Solely two gamers — Joel Soriano and Drissa Traore — stay a part of the roster.