The Official Matt Painter Rumors Post
By Zach Langdon
The Boiling Point: This is the official post we’ll have for all the rumors we’re seeing regarding Matt Painter, instead of continuously making new posts. We’ll make a new one when official word comes out.
Update: 3:43 p.m.: ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reports on ESPN radio that a source close to the situation says Painter TURNED DOWN the Mizzou job.
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Update: 3:33 p.m.: A radio station and television station out of Indy are reporting that Painter is staying at Purdue. If you haven’t noticed, this is going both ways. Not much concrete information out there.
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Update: 3:25 p.m.: Gold and Black Illustrated’s Brian Neubert is reporting that there has been NO team meeting called and Painter is NOT in the air right now. GBI also uncovered that Painter is set to fly back commercially tonight with his family from Florida. That flight is supposed to be leaving a bit after 6 p.m. It’s looking more and more likely that this is going to stretch into Thursday.
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Update: 3:09 p.m.: Nothing but complete and utter speculation here, but the evidence, albeit a lot of random sourcing and nothing official, is piling up to show Painter has taken the Missouri job. We will continue to update this with any and all information we get.
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Update: 2:34 p.m.: Rumors are circulating that there has been a players meeting scheduled for 8 p.m.
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Update: 2:20 p.m.: Former Indiana coach and current ESPN analyst and radio show host out of Indianapolis Dan Dakich is now reporting from a reliable source that Painter is gone. Still nothing official, but the sources saying Painter is gone are starting to build.
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Update: 2:03 p.m.: Dozens of media outlets are reporting that Painter has accepted the job, but those reports are being based off the initial one from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that has since been refuted by Missouri officials. The Indy Star is still confirming a decision has not been relayed to either school.
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Update: 1:36 p.m.: Gold and Black Illustrated’s Brian Neubert is reporting no decision has been passed down to Purdue’s players and there’s no reason to believe Painter is on a plane headed back to Indiana. His family vacation in Florida was scheduled to run through today and he had plans of going to the Final Four as all coaches do.
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Update: 1:16 p.m.: The Missourian reports that news from St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Painter has taken the job is NOT true. This was confirmed through a text message from a Missouri athletic department official.
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Update: 12:58 p.m.: The Kansas City Star says that Painter’s decision is going to be delayed by travel back to West Lafayette from Florida, where his family was vacationing. Its source says he will be back to Purdue by 8 p.m. and will mean he’s going to miss the noon deadline set by Missouri.
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Update: 12:48 p.m.: Gold and Black Illustrated’s Brian Neubert is reporting he’s hearing Painter is still undecided and this saga could continue until tomorrow.
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Today’s news started with a St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist saying Painter has called Missouri and accepted the job.
Since then, the Indianapolis Star’s Jeff Rabjohns tweeted “At this hour, Matt Painter has not called either Missouri or Purdue with a decision, sources confirmed.”
Purdue has released official word that it has not heard from Painter one way or the other.Tom Schott, assistant athletics director for communication, said the University has not heard anything official yet. The athletic department will call a press conference once Painter’s decision is public, but Schott said he does not know when that will be.
ESPN’s Pat Forde just tweeted: “Some folks close to the situation are counseling to apply the brakes to the Post-Dispatch’s Painter-Mizzou story. Nothing official right now”
Stay tuned for further updates.