Will Bobby Petrino’s record save him from scandal?
The Bobby Petrino scandal is the talk of Arkansas. We’re about to find out if winning is the loudest voice in the room. The football coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks is in hot enough water to boil pork ribs. But before any decision is made on what to do about Petrino, all the important facts must be reviewed and considered.
He misled his bosses about riding alone when he went off the road on his Harley-davidson on April 1. Arkansas’ 11 wins last season tied a school record.
His passenger was a woman, 25, and nobody calls her Mrs. Petrino. The Razorbacks beat Kansas State 29-16 in the Cotton Bowl.
Because his first version of the incident was something of a fish story — herring, red — the university dispensed incorrect information to the world. On school letterhead. Arkansas put a 44-28 whipping on Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. He just hired the woman for his football staff. It’s seldom good news when the term “inappropriate relationship” is used in the same paragraph with someone new to the payroll.
The Razorbacks are 21-5 the last two seasons. The stands are full of happy boosters and contributors. Are all of the above really important to finding a proper conclusion? Of course not.
Take out the part about the Harley-davidson. Nobody cares. They do about everything else, though. The suspicious, the embarrassing and most certainly having only one more defeat the last two years than Alabama.
And so, Arkansas athletics director Jeff Long is in a pickle. He can investigate and deliberate all he wants, but behind every ounce of his efforts is a fact of life. Victory carries a strong voice. And in Southeastern Conference football, it holds a bullhorn.
A Team Save Coach Petrino Facebook page popped up, calling for a rally Monday night. By Monday evening, it had more than 17,000 members. One of the organizers, Matt Couch, told the Arkansas Democrat-gazette, “We want to forgive, forget and win.”
A reasonable statement, though he might have the order a little mixed up.
Let’s be clear: It is utterly no fun dealing with a man’s personal life and family issues. The public is often too eager to look under rocks, and the news media often too gleeful to peer behind closed doors. These are real people being laid bare to the world.
But misinformation to the university and a curious hiring push this into the open air. Coaches must endure unfair and unreasonable scrutiny. One reason is a twisted preoccupation by some fans. But another is that coaches make more money to fix the defense than surgeons make to fix hearts. They can hardly decry a bent perspective and then profit from it.
So the clouds gather over Petrino, whose salary averages $3.53 million a year. A conduct clause in his contract is available if Long chooses dismissal. Will the glossy record count? Sure, but before anyone acts too appalled, aren’t we guilty of letting that happen?
We’re quick to shred a coach whose graduation rate lapses, whose athletes misbehave, whose recruiting practices carry a stench. For failing on the important things. Fine.
But show me a man who graduates his players and operates a clean program — plus goes 4-8 and 5-7 — and I’ll show you a beleaguered coach whose head is being called for from every corner.
Winning cures nearly everything, and what it doesn’t, it tends to mitigate. If Petrino is still coach next fall, it will most likely be because he finished high in the SEC standings. If the past week has shown anything, he is far better at the passing game than damage control.
Or he might be gone. Sometimes a winner is discharged, glory and full houses and all. But almost always as a last resort.