Arkansas Football Coach Bobby Petrino Placed on Paid Administrative Leave
As had been rumored throughout the day, reports have surfaced that the University of Arkansas has placed head football coach Bobby Petrino on paid administrative leave.
It turns out that Petrino, who had a serious motorcycle wreck last weekend, had a 25-year old female passenger on board with him when the wreck occurred. Petrino, 51, is married with four children, and speculation has been that the combination of the motorcycle wreck and the inferred infidelity could be enough to get him fired, but it turns out there is more investigation to be done by Jeff Long and the Arkansas staff.
The passenger, Jennifer Dorrell, was a former Arkansas athlete and was recently promoted to Director of Player Relations for the University on March 28th. She is engaged to Josh Morgan, the Director of Swimming and Diving operations for Arkansas.
After meeting with Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long at the Broyles Athletic Complex, all parties moved on to a late-night press conference to announce that Petrino had been placed on administrative leave pending a further investigation of the circumstances surrounding the motorcycle crash.
It’s a tough situation for an Arkansas team that comes off of a very successful 11-2 finish in 2011, and is poised according to many 2012 pre-season polls to be one of the top five teams in the country.
The Arkansas job has become one of the country’s more sought-after in recent years, and there is little doubt that Jeff Long and the University brass would have trouble in filling Petrino’s role should he be dismissed.
The SEC draws not only the best athletic talent, but also the best coaching talent from across the country, and the Razorbacks will be able to choose exactly whom they want to fill Petrino’s former role in preparation for the 2012 football season.
Could Petrino’s possible dismissal be enough for teams who may not have otherwise been competitive in the SEC this upcoming season to rise to the top of the conference?
Maybe not, but at a minimum, whether or not he is eventually fired, it will be a huge distraction for a program that alumni were hoping had finally repaired a damaged reputation.
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More articles about Petrino’s paid administrative leave:
Arkansas has put coach Bobby Petrino on administrative leave: http://wapo.st/HzLiCU
Bobby Petrino Placed on Administrative Leave by Arkansas: http://sbn.to/I9xobX
Bobby Petrino Placed on Administrative Leave: http://bit.ly/I2C7Q0
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Kris Hughes is a Network Manager for Rant Sports. If you enjoy his takes, you can follow Kris on Twitter, check out his personal Facebook page, or stop by his personal Tumblr page.
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