Joanne Minardi is the wife of Rick Pitino an American college basketball coach who is the head coach for Iona University.
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Pitino married his wife Joanne Minardi in 1976. The couple met in 1974 when he was a young assistant collegiate coach. Joanne Minardi worked as a flight attendant at the time.
They have five living children, one of whom, Richard, is currently the head coach with the New Mexico Lobos.
Unfortunately, one of their children died tragically at the age of six months due to a congenital heart defect.
However, the tragedy was not the only source of stress in the couple’s relationship. Pitino was accused of having an affair in 1989.
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The scandal and subsequent extortion attempt rocked the relationship, but after an apology, the couple worked through the situation and remained together.
Rick Pitino revealed in 2010 that he and Minardi went through a counselling programme, which ended up strengthening their relationship.
In 2017, the pair was forced to deal with yet another scandal, the infamous Louisville recruiting scandal, which resulted in his dismissal. Despite the public scrutiny Pitino faced, Minardi and Pitino remained committed to each other and are still married.
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