Rick Pitino says NCAA enforcement arm is 'a joke' and should be disbanded

Hall of Fame college basketball coach Rick Pitino isn't a fan of the current landscape in college sports, but he seems to have a particular disdain for the way the NCAA is trying to enforce the 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 Saturday.

In response to an NCAA investigation at the University of Tennessee, the attorneys general in two states – Tennessee and Virginia – filed a lawsuit last week challenging its ban on the use of name, image and likeness compensation in the recruitment of college athletes.

College sports are turning into a free-for-all, the first-year St. John's coach said, with the big winners determined in court, rather than on the court.

"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."

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A U.S. District Court judge is set to hear arguments Feb. 13 for a preliminary injunction that would prevent the NCAA from enforcing NIL recruiting rules while the lawsuit plays out.

The NCAA filed a 25-page response Saturday with the Eastern District of Tennessee defending its enforcement of recruiting rules – which are made by member schools.

"They are professional athletes. Get professionally paid. It's not going away," Pitino added after St. John's (13-9) lost to No. 1 Connecticut. "You can't try to get loopholes, because they take you to court. That's why I say – so I'm not knocking the enforcement staff – they're going to get taken to court every time they try to make a rule.

"So it's a tough time in college basketball right now. And for us, you can't really build programs and a culture because everybody leaves."

Contributing: The Associated Press