Petrino gets axed
Coach ‘knowingly misled’ Arkansas
WHEN BOBBY Petrino arrived as Arkansas coach in 2007, he was hailed with shouts of “Woo Pig Sooie!” On Tuesday he was dismissed in disgrace for having “knowingly misled” the university regarding a relationship he maintained with a school employee half his age.
Petrino, 51, was fired with cause by athletic director Jeff Long. Long’s decision came after he reviewed the relationship between Petrino and Jessica Dorrell, an athletics department employee who was riding on the back of Petrino’s motorcycle when he crashed into a pit on April 1. Petrino, who is married with four children, did not tell his bosses that Dorrell was with him at the time of the crash. He suffered four broken ribs, a cracked vertebrae in his neck and numerous abrasions on his face.
“The simplest response I have is: I’m sorry,” Petrino said in a statement. “These two words seem very inadequate. But that is my heart. All I have been able to think about is the number of people I’ve let down by making selfish decisions.”
Once the coach of the Atlanta Falcons, Petrino finishes with a 34-17 record in four seasons, 21-5 over his final two in Fayetteville. He left the Falcons in his previous role by resigning without addressing his players. He left notes in their lockers.
In a press conference to announce the firing Tuesday, Long said he learned that Petrino paid Dorrell $20,000 at one point, but did not elaborate on the reason for the payment. Long declined to comment on Dorrell’s job status.
“In this case, coach Petrino abused his authority when he made a staff hire that benefited himself and jeopardized the integrity of the football program,” Long said.
Dorrell, who has yet to comment publicly, was hired March 28 by Petrino as student-athlete development coordinator after serving as a fund-raiser with the Razorback Foundation. She is in charge of organizing the recruiting process for the football team, including initial eligibility for each incoming player.
The police report said Petrino and Dorrell were taken by a passer-by to an intersection in southeast Fayetteville, where Arkansas State Police Capt. Lance King, who was often assigned to protect Petrino, took the coach to the hospital.