Ex-St. John's coach seeks $45.6M, alleging 'fictitious' firing to hire Pitino

Former St. John's men's basketball coach Mike Anderson is seeking nearly $46 million from the school after he claims he was fired with cause in March only so the school could avoid paying his buyout and use the money to hire Rick Pitino.
Anderson said he's seeking the $11.4 million that was left on his contract and an additional $34.2 million for "punitive" damages.
St. John's lured Pitino from Iona after firing Anderson on March 10.
Anderson claims St. John's officials had tried to offer him a buyout for less than the $11.4 million remaining on his deal before it accused him of "fictitious" problems within his program and fired him for cause on March 10.
The arbitration documents filed by Anderson also accuse the school of hypocrisy by firing him for cause but hiring Pitino, who had been "enmeshed in one highly publicized, sensational scandal after another over the years."