Was firing Bobby Petrino the right move for Arkansas?

28 Comments

  • David P. - 12 years ago

    UofA has nobody to blame but themselves. They knew exactly what they were getting when they hired him. A good coach with a terrible temper and a habitual liar. He has misled every team he has coached. The day before he was hired he lied to the Falcons owner saying he was there for the long haul and would not walk out on them. He was the most disliked SEC coach by the referees because of him constantly chasing them out at every opportunity in his mind. Arkansas will be better off without that douchebag.

  • Jb - 12 years ago

    I hate it,but Petrino had to go.

  • Kirk - 12 years ago

    Of course it was the right thing to do. Petrino gave Long no other choice. We are all pretty depressed at the fact that we were coming into what may have been our best season ever, and we lost the mastermind behind it. They might have found a way to keep him if he had not hired her. Petrino caused the damage, not Jeff Long.

  • john - 12 years ago

    Hummmmm. About six years or so ago. This happen to another Coach, on the same highway; only in a car with a Uof A employee in it. Now will this happen every six or so years? Hope not. I backed AD Jeff Long.

  • tyler babineaux - 12 years ago

    we need to keep the head coach... arkansa football went 11-2 with him an won the cotton bowl let our razorbacks keep the head coach an stop worring bout his situation an let coach bobby petrino take our football team to bcs bowl next year.....think about it now who can coach better an know coach bobby petrino razorback football players like him

  • Hogfan - 12 years ago

    U can't agree with Jeff long without sounding judgemental. Doesn't that tell you something? He had an affair with a hot chick and it's none of our business. Lying about an affair might be a little better than being arrogant and in our face with it. The man was lying to protect himself, her, their families, the school, the local economy...etc. We hired a football coach to win football games. If we wanted Jesus Christ himself, it ain't happening. Have any of the players said they lost respect for him? He screwed up, but it was not serious enough to fire him in my opinion. Jeff long made a bonehead move as far as bringing money into the program and school and if u say 'integrity' is more important then don't support the football program at all. Afterall it's a lot of violence, injuries, Vegas action, exploitation, time away from the schoolbooks...etc. If most of these kids goals is to make it to the NFL then at least give them a good coach. It's seems like the right thing to do since they sacrifice their bodies for our entertainment. Think about it. U r kidding yourself if u think we did these kids a favor.

  • T.D. Hayes - 12 years ago

    He's a DIRT BAG....knowing football is one thing....but what about his wife and kids....?..think he was thinking about them or football when he was with his girlfriend, Half his age...???

  • Deborah - 12 years ago

    I agree with wordsworth and Phil. I'm glad to see UofA stand behind and defend it's beliefs. The choices made by those in authority were tough, but at the end of the day keeping the coach inadvertently says that UofA supports adultery, theft and lieing. If you don't want your personal life to affect your work.... well, don't take it to work with you. I agree that Dorrall should also resign/be terminated considering her position was inappropriately attained. I feel for the effect this will have on his family. However, a man who is worried about his family doesn't make choices that can harm them. If he had CHOSEN to put his family first this situation would not be unfolding. How do you ask a young adult to respect a disrespectful person? For those that feel we should "just let it slide" because he is just another bad apple in the bushel, you can't get a good bushel if you keep the bad apples in there. Will college sports... or any for that matter... ever be 100% pure, probably not. That doesn't mean we should continually turn the cheek to such abusive misuse of authority. Life without rules lends to chaos, chaos leads to tragedy.

  • Fred - 12 years ago

    His resume speaks for it self. He deceived the Atlanta Falcons, his family and Razorbacks. Wonder whos next.

  • ARDELLIA MAYS - 12 years ago

    I don't think he should have been fired! Maybe a fine are suspension for a game or two but not fired. By him getting fired his family is being punished as well, not to mention the fans of the razorbacks, and players. I am not a football fan but I know that young lady was not worth what he eventually stood to lose.

  • hogman - 12 years ago

    What if there was no motorcycle accident and what if an angry boyfriend had beaten Coach Petrino up? Was Jessica hurt? What if the motorcycle had just been pushed down the hill? What if all of Petrino's injuries came from something other than an accident? Hmmmmm

  • A Real hogfan - 12 years ago

    I'm guessing all the haters have never even had the oppertunity to turn down a hot 25 year old. He didn't steal anything. He did boost our local economy, but let's judge him instead of thank him.

  • Mark - 12 years ago

    The only politician in Arkansas that would excuse Bobby P. from stealing $20,000 from the state would be that original Bubba (Clinton) whose behavior Bobby was following. The sad part is that some other college program will hire Petrino after next season, but if it were up to me, he should face a lifetime ban of only being able to coach at an all-boys school!

  • jack baker - 12 years ago

    Petrino is only a spoke in the wheel. He is not above the system. His actions did not get him fired. Arogance did him in. He isn't the first. We also had a very good coach named Nolan.

  • johnathon - 12 years ago

    yall shouldnve fired dude cus he fucked ha , it wasnt nun of yall business of wat he did !! yall needa give him his job back ....... he was a good coach & he just made a mistake

  • A Real hogfan - 12 years ago

    I agree in preserving the integrity of the U of A. That's why we shouldn't have judged Bobby. I've never met someone who jumps at the oppertunity to admit to having an affair. Turns out, that's something worth lying about because it's nobody's business.

  • Lupin - 12 years ago

    His being let go has nothing to do with the Bible. What he did on his own time was his own business. It has to do with a standard of ethics in the workforce which is supported by his contract with the University. He unfortunately mixed his personal life with his career.

  • wordsworth - 12 years ago

    Ed Jones says, "for God's sake, it was a simple motorcycle accident!" It was indeed, and could have been treated as such, had Petrino not lied, put the University in the position of repeating his lie, and then violated hiring policies by hiring his mistress. As I said earlier, I love his coaching, but he himself turned a "simple motorcycle accident" into a potentially career-ending disaster! The motorcycle accident itself would have been of little or no interest to the University or Razorback fans, except to wish him a speedy recovery. No one, not Jeff Long, not Jessica Dorrell, not a state trooper, not any eyewitness--to repeat, no one!-- turned this into the fiasco it became except Petrino himself. And the rest is history.

  • shane - 12 years ago

    It never ceases to amaze me how serious the bible thumping bible belters are about the sanctity of marriage. Too bad he isnt Bill Clinton. Arkansas fans will regret this decision.

  • wordsworth - 12 years ago

    A lifelong Razorback fan who loved Petrino's coaching, I am sorry he won't be on our sideline anymore. Unfortunately for him, there is more to life than being a great coach. Props to Jeff Long for "manning up, " biting the bullet, and doing what had to be done to preserve the integrity of the University of Arkansas. By the time he survives this and makes a successful hire, Long himself is due a raise!

  • Ed Jones - 12 years ago

    Jeff Long should be fired. This was not about Jeff Long. All I heard from him was how HE was not informed. If Long was doing his job and it was as I heard a known fact Petrino was horsing around with this girl in the office area, habitated with both Long and Petrino why didn't Long call Petrino aside and warn him to stop.? We lost a great coach because Long did not do his job. I heard no reason for firing Petrino, not one in his address last night. The $20,000 he just throw out as bait but it was not a factor we are told................So why mention it? The only reason given for firing Petrino was because Petrino did not inform Lonf of the total situation.....................For God's sake it was a simple motorcycle accident.

  • A Real hogfan - 12 years ago

    Didn't Jeff long have to sign off on hiring her?Where's your judgemental attitude towards him? That $20,000 was his money. It's not our business. It's no different than giving it to a church as far as a real non-judgemental Christian should be concerned. No NCAA violations!!!! Did we not over-react here??

  • Phil Leigh - 12 years ago

    I am a Razorback fan who agrees with the decision.

    However, feminists should insist that Jessica Dorrell should be fired as well. She lied. She got a job ahead of 158 other applicants, presumably because she used her gender advantage to have an affair with a heterosexual male, and finally, she accepted a $20,000 bribe as though it were a gender privilege.

  • A Real hogfan - 12 years ago

    The bible belt strikes again... Jeff Long should fire himself.

  • Barry - 12 years ago

    As an Arkansan and enthusiastic Razorback fan I can't deny that Petrino deserved to lose his job as head coach. - too bad such a top echelon coach has such poor moral value. The UofA will prevail!

  • Ray - 12 years ago

    This is cut and dry. Petrino is a University employee and must be held to the same standard as any University employee. How many professionally run HR departments would keep a manager after they hired an employee with which they were having a current affair with at the time of the hire and ALSO lied to HR and their boss before and after this event about the nature of the relationship? Near zero.

    I feel for Arkansas. Jim Tressel at OSU had to go because he lied about knowing about a potential NCAA violation even when he was not involved and communicated to this players not to engage in getting "favors." The transition may be painful but hopefully comes out OK.

  • David Vance - 12 years ago

    In a situation like this, his ability to lead his players to the fulfillment of their football dreams is irrelevant. While having been hired to bring Arkanasas into contention for a National championship, he was most certainly also hired to mentor these young men and set an example of integrity. Bobby Petrino displayed a terrible lack of judgment in the inappropriate relationship which at least merited a suspension or fine, but he compounded it by lying and conspiring and showing utter contempt of what is right and wrong.. He is the worst kind of example young impressionable athletes need to see.. His firing is absolutely justified for that reason alone.

  • mark - 12 years ago

    Are you serious? Just when are we actually going to live up to moral standards?
    College sports is a business that uses children as slaves to make millions for greedy manipulative adults. The fiction is that it is a pure and honorable enterprise. We need to complete the fiction by holding the participants to the standards we allegedly aspire to.

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