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| Bobby Petrino |
It appears the Bobby Petrino era is coming to an end in Arkansas.
According to ESPN's Joe Schad, the beleagured coach has been told he is going to be relieved of his duties as of tonight at the University of Arkansas.
Razorback Athletic Director Jeff Long is holding a press conference at 7:15 central time (8:15 eastern) to talk about the decision and where the program goes from here.
Petrino's tale is a sordid one that has developed over the past 10 days. You can read the OSG Sports archive for more background.
We will have details on the press conference and the goings on in Fayetteville as the night progresses, please check back often.
2015 UPDATE: Jeff Long, Arkansas AD, held a press conference at Bud Walton Arena to discuss...
CFT is relaying the idea that Petrino refused to accept penalties in order to keep his employ... Clay Henry of Hawgs Illustrated first broke that idea.
Petrino was fired with cause and after the discovery that he "knowingly deceived and acted inappropriately in Dorrell hiring process" according to Schad through his Twitter feed...
At the presser, Long admitted: "I have spoken with key individuals involved in the accident... my review lead to several concerns..."
Petrino's relationship was unfair and undisclosed to the school, there were 159 applicants for Dorell's job without disclosing a conflict of interest (3 of whom were interviewed), he gave a large sum of cash (close to $20,000) to Dorrell, but that was not disclosed to Long. Petrino abused his authority and exhibited a pattern of misleading behavior before and after the motorcycle accident.
Taver Johnson is coaching the team through spring practice.
An emotional Long, really, had no choice in the matter since this was one of the most troubled years off the field in college football history with the incidents at Ohio State, Florida, Oregon, Tennessee (for basketball), and Penn State. Petrino violated the Sexual Harassment policy on campus and brought in Dorrell "inappropriately" to her new job on campus.
Schad relays that Petrino violated his morals clause in the Dorrell hiring. And Dorrell's hiring opens itself up to potential lawsuits down the line- whether it would have been for cause, harassment, or any other angle that could raise it's head on campus. Long had an amazing amount of pressure on him with a split fan/booster base and the construction of the new football facility, and he still does.
Petrino is supposed to send out his own statement after the end of the presser at Bud Walton Arena.
And, for the record, here's Gus Malzahn's MOU from Arkansas State...
The figure is $700,000... to answer your question...
Long was asked about Dorrell's status and dismissed any update on her status as a personnel matter. He said there was no negotation with Petrino to keep his job and Petrino expressed some amount of remorse.
His decision didn't happen on Petrino and his future until today...
Long was asked about Petrino and Dorrell and the length of their relationship: "It had been a significant period of time."
When asked if Long thought Petrino was bigger than the program, Long answered "yes."
2300 UPDATE: Petrino issued a response to multiple media outlets...
Here's some of the greatest hits...
I’m sure you heard (athletic director) Jeff Long’s reasons for termination. There was a lot of information shared. Given the decision that has been made, this is not the place to debate Jeff’s view of what happened. In the end, I put him in the position of having to sort through my mistakes and that is my fault.
I wish that I had been given the opportunity to meet with the players and staff prior to this evening’s press conference and hope that I will be given the opportunity to give my apologies and say my goodbyes in person.
The HQ would love to know what Petrino's view of what happened actually is, and, unlike the departure from Atlanta, he actually wanted to meet with his players...???
Who knew he turned into a loving, caring individual...???
Here's some of the Long presser...
((HT: TodaysTHV.com/KTHV))
And some of the presser as well from KFSM-TV
((HT: 5newsonline.com))
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