Former St. John's coach Mike Anderson seeking $45.6 million in lawsuit following Rick Pitino hire

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Former St. John's head coach Mike Anderson has filed a lawsuit against the school saying it used money that was supposed to go to him in a buyout to hire Rick Pitino.

Anderson says the school fired him with cause to avoid buying him out. He is seeking $45.6 million from the school.

Anderson was owed $11.4 million for the remainder of his deal, so he is seeking that along with another $34.2 million in punitive damages.

ESPN reported that Anderson's termination letter says he 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."

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Head coach Mike Anderson of the St. John's Red Storm reacts against the Creighton Bluejays at Carnesecca Arena March 1, 2020, in New York City.  (Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

Anderson also is claiming the school attempted to buy him out for less than the $11.4 million left on his deal and then made up "fictitious" problems to fire him for cause.

"The ‘for cause’ accusation is wholly without merit, and I will be aggressively defending my contractual rights through an arbitration process," he said at the time.

Head coach Rick Pitino of the Iona Gaels during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at MVP Arena March 17, 2023, in Albany, N.Y.  (C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)

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The school denied Anderson's claims in a statement Thursday.

"We dispute the wildly inaccurate claims being reported in the media and will vigorously defend those claims in arbitration," the university said.

Anderson was given a six-year extension in February 2021, but the Red Storm hired Pitino shortly after he and his Iona Gaels were eliminated from the March Madness tournament by eventual national champion UConn.

The St. John's Red Storm logo on the floor before a college basketball game at Carnesecca Arena Feb. 23, 2022, in New York City.   (Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

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Anderson was fired after going 68-56 in his 124 games with the university. He was also 30-46 in Big East play and never reached the NCAA Tournament. 

Fox News' Scott Thompson contributed to this report.