Response To Petrino’s Misdeeds Could Be New Trend
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By DERON SNYDER
The affair with a woman young enough to be his daughter was the least of Bobby Petrino’s worries. If that was the sole charge he faced, Petrino still would be employed as Arkansas’ football coach, mapping out practice schedules with an eye toward next week’s Red-White spring game.
Claiming that he was alone last week when he crashed on his Harley-Davidson was problematic but probably survivable. When the truth came out, revealing that mistress Jessica Dorrell was a passenger, it was a huge embarrassment but not necessarily a fireable offense.
Considering the wild success Petrino enjoyed, going 21-5 the past two seasons while Arkansas raised a reported $53 million in donations for athletics, terminating his employment would require a major violation or two. Even then, football’s rabid nature in the Southeastern Conference and Arkansas’ desire to run with the big dogs could give Jeff Long pause.
But Long, the athletic director, couldn’t overlook all of the above plus Petrino giving Dorrell $20,000 in cash before hiring her two weeks ago for a job in the football program. Despite the career risk in firing a coach who led Arkansas to its first BCS bowl game in 2010 and a No. 5 final ranking in 2011, Long couldn’t keep Petrino.
