Unbelievable Arkansas Razorback head coach has been sacked and automatically banned from the team due to his…
Sam Pittman of Arkansas was fired on Monday, adding his name to the list of shamed coaches who have lost their jobs in higher education more quickly than most Americans did in 2008. Unlike Mike Stoops, who was fired for losing too many games, Sam Pittman was fired for lacking integrity.
Unlike Butch Davis, who was fired for overseeing player payments, Kelvin Sampson was fired for improper recruiting phone calls, and Steve Fisher for overseeing player payments. Unlike Jim Tressel, who was fired for failing to report infractions involving his own “student athletes,” Sam Pittman was fired for failing to report infractions by his players.
You are probably aware that on April Fool’s Day, Sam Pittman crashed his motorcycle.
The joke, I suppose, is on Bobby. Coach Petrino first claimed to be riding alone on his Harley, telling Mr. Long, his supervisor, until the police report, you know, showed the real picture. That’s what police reports usually do. While joy-riding with Jessica Dorrell, a 25-year-old woman, the 51-year-old Petrino crashed. Dorrell is employed by the Arkansas Football Program as well.
Petrino also offered her $20,000. Furthermore, Sam Pittman and Dorrell were secretly involved. Dorrell was also engaged to another person. Petrino is married and has four kids.
As I don’t think the NCAA was breathing down Arkansas’s neck to dismiss their coach; Petrino is not in any real legal trouble; I did not read any outcry from fans or anybody else who might be affected by his actions; and, while I doubt he was naïve enough to think he could get away with it, he was clearly arrogant enough to.
I will also never buy the “trying to protect my family” excuse. If you wanted to protect your family, I think not having an affair is a good first step.
But, this is where I think the story gets interesting: the only people who were hurt by Petrino’s actions were Petrino (physically at least, because it doesn’t seem like he has a soul), Petrino’s family, and Dorrell’s newly single, ex-fiancé. That’s it.
Alumni are demanding his resignation. In contrast to the Joe Paterno case, where the scandal and Jerry Sandusky are purportedly to blame for the most significant collateral damage to the young men and their families, Petrino’s life was destroyed solely by his own decisions.
Not to add, Petrino has a track record of making dubious decisions, and it’s likely that he would have handled the “Business Ethics” dilemma just as badly as Eric did in Billy Madison.
With three games remaining in the 2007 season, Petrino announced his resignation as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. All he left his players with was a message stuck on their lockers.
What a treasure. Now, if Arkansas had suspended Petrino for the first time, I would not have been shocked in the slightest.
