Jimmy Johnson: Arkansas should rehire Petrino
Could the Hogs be calling Bobby Petrino again? (AP photo)
Johnson, the former head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins, told Gino Torretta and Jack Arute on their Sirius XM radio show:
“Some people might laugh but I’m serious about it. If they want an outstanding coach they ought to bring back Petrino or hire Butch Davis. And people say, ‘Well how in the world can you bring back Petrino?’ I said, ‘Listen, you forgave Bill Clinton.’ Forgive the man. Forgive the man for making a bad decision. Give him an opportunity to coach again.
“I mean he wants to get back into coaching and he’s a great coach and he made a mistake. This whole country, it’s built on forgiving people and giving them second chances. And I think the fan base would love to bring him back. But if they don’t bring him back? But you know, Butch Davis, give him an opportunity. …”
Davis is another former Hurricane coach who was fired by the University of North Carolina amid an NCAA investigation into the Tar Heel football program. Davis was not directly linked to any of the violations that occurred.
Petrino, on the other hand, was linked to wrongdoing — albeit off the field. He was fired in April after a motorcycle wreck involving a woman with whom he admitted having an affair. Arkansas currently has an interim coach, John L. Smith.
On Wednesday, Petrino’s father told the Louisville Courier-Journal that his son was interested in the head coaching job at Kentucky, which announced last week the firing of Joker Phillips.
“I just know this, that he’s interested in Kentucky,” Bobby Petrino Sr. told the newspaper. “He wants to stay in the SEC. That was his life’s goal was to go to the SEC.”
“You know, he made mistakes,” Petrino Sr. said, “but he couldn’t have gone through any punishment worse than losing his job. He’s missed coaching tremendously.”
While it seems unlikely Petrino will return to Arkansas, he’ll undoubtedly be hired by someone at some point. In addition to Kentucky, fans on message boards at Tennessee, Auburn and even Georgia Tech have expressed support for hiring him. What program do you think is the best fit for Petrino?
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164 comments Add your comment
Eisendawg
November 8th, 2012
10:25 am
Word out is that Auburn is in double secret negotiations with him.
Tommy
November 8th, 2012
10:26 am
After leaving Atlanta the way he did, I don’t think people would want him back to coach any team in this area.
Lisa
November 8th, 2012
10:31 am
Yes! Arkansas should hire him so he doesn’t end up at Auburn!
Tech75
November 8th, 2012
10:33 am
Please leave all discussion of Georgia Tech off this thread.
Anyone who thinks Petrino would be considered at Tech should lay off the hallucinogens.
Rodster
November 8th, 2012
10:37 am
Hiring Petrino back would be the second big mistake made by Arkansas. Good thing Jimmy isn’t CEO of a company.
te29wr
November 8th, 2012
10:41 am
I didn’t for give Clinton and neither did his wife she just lives with it like Ark would do as long as he kept winning
GIVE ME A BREAK
November 8th, 2012
10:43 am
He’s a liar. He’ll never coach a FBS school again.
Neutral
November 8th, 2012
10:45 am
What’s scary to me is there are some UGa and GT fans who really want this guy. Sounds like you would sell your souls for a NC!!! Give me a break……where are your values???
BUZZ OFF
November 8th, 2012
10:51 am
I think he needs to replace Spurrier who may be retiring next year. The University has already proven they don’t care how sleezy their coaches may be.
Marquis
November 8th, 2012
10:59 am
I’m a Tech fan and a Falcon fan and I would LOVE if Tech hired Petrino!!!
The Falcon fan in me can learn to get over it. Tech needs somebody to make our program relevant again and he might be the right person for the job. He is a good coach and a good recruiter!!! People need to understand that he got fired for doing something that alot of men do but the difference is he got caught!!! Put Vad Lee in his system and Tech is instantly better!!!
GTBuzz85
November 8th, 2012
11:05 am
Any talk of him coming to Tech to coach is foolish. The Institute’s integrity trumps a man with his character ever coaching at Tech. Let alone the ramifications of him returning to Atlanta after what he did to the Falcons.
okeefe
November 8th, 2012
11:07 am
Agree TECH75–Tech will NEVER hire a Petrino or Davis for that matter. Marquis– are you a space cadet? You may be a Tech fan but you certainly do not sound like a Tech Grad.
HoggyCat
November 8th, 2012
11:24 am
Unfortunately for all you saying he doesn’t deserve a chance there’s 2 media personnel that say he should be.
Tim Brando, Paul Finebaum, Bill King, numerous people on ESPN have all said it’s possible and even should happen.
Marquis
November 8th, 2012
11:24 am
No I’m not a space cadet and I’m also not a Tech Grad but I am a person who’s thinking with my head and not my heart!!!! I agree what he did to the falcon was wrong but he accepted the job thinking that Mike Vick was going to be his quarterback not Joey Harrington!! Do you think programs hire coaches based on their people skills or their coaching skills?? Petrino is a good football coach he might not be a great person but he’s a good enough person that for the years he was at Arkanas parents of recruits thought highly of him to send their kids there!! Do you wanna keep winning 6 or 7 games every year and get slapped around by those idiots from Athens every year or do you wanna be relevant!!! I’m not going to renew my season tickets next year if something doesnt change. I guess all the Tech Grads and non space cadets can sell out Bobby Dodd like they’ve been doing!! Oh I forgot it’s never a sell out!! It’s about football not emotions!!!!
atowndown
November 8th, 2012
11:25 am
Petrino to GT? Wow the AJC is really reaching now. Unlike those football factory “schools” in the SEC, we at GT are not a “win at all cost” school. No way he is even considered, plus, we already have a coach.
bobby
November 8th, 2012
11:27 am
if they hire him back, can bobby still ride his hawg?
Lee
November 8th, 2012
11:32 am
Give him a second chance somewhere.Be a public spokesman against sexual harrassment or other type of community service written in the contract and start off as an offensive coach and work his way up.
par for the course
November 8th, 2012
11:33 am
This would be typical Arkansas behavior. They already take kids that get kicked out of other schools.
Layinlow
November 8th, 2012
11:34 am
He stood before Arthur Blank and lied to his face. This was the worst thing he did not the leaving part. If he would have just said i’m sorry but the pro game is not for me, I want to return to college and I can’t pass up this opportunity. But when Blank ask him if he was still his coach he lied thru his teeth and said yes and less than 24 hrs later he was being announced as the head coach at Arkansas. Any SEC program who hires this guy has zero integrity.
atowndown is a clown
November 8th, 2012
11:35 am
You aren’t a “win at all cost” school only b/c you don’t win.
voice of reason
November 8th, 2012
11:40 am
I’m far from being a Petrino fan but the only thing wrong with his departure from the Falcons was the way he didn’t address his players. Owners and GMs can fire coaches at the drop of a hat but as soon as a coach leaves abruptly, it was the coach who did something wrong. Baloney. Total double standard.
Gary
November 8th, 2012
11:47 am
This guy has shown poor judgement everywhere he has coached. Is he a good coach? Maybe. Is he the kind of coach you want running an SEC college football program, even if you are Kentucky???? No way. He’s a better fit for the PAC 10 with Kiffin and Mora
joe in tucker
November 8th, 2012
11:49 am
the only place this tool should ever coach at is the Southern North-Eastern Arkansas Community College for the DUMB!!
Glenn
November 8th, 2012
11:51 am
Say what you will about the guys personal life, but as a coach, he’s a better football coach than Paul Johnson on his worst day. Paul Johnson and that gimmick offense is not the answer. Petrino might not be the answer to Georgia Tech’s woes, but he’s certainly a better option to run the team. What has Paul Johnson done to garner so much respect? The team can barely compete in the ACC as it is, and then to add insult to injury they’re taking L’s to teams like Middle Tennessee and BYU. Yeah, it’s not about “win at all cost,” but wouldn’t you mind at least having a consistently decent program? Georgia Tech might not be the wisest move for Petrino to make, what with the fallout from the Falcon situation still lingering. But, in my opinion, he shouldn’t have even been fired from Arkansas to begin with. Reprimanded? Yep. Suspended? Certainly. But not fired. He’s a good recruiter and he’s a good coach. He deserves a second chance.
Damon Evans
November 8th, 2012
11:54 am
I think we need to cut Petrino some slack. He made a mistake. I’m telling you those white chicks always get you in trouble.
Rambo
November 8th, 2012
11:57 am
Red panties.
Paddy
November 8th, 2012
12:00 pm
Of course he will coach again. But it should be in places like Wyoming, New Mexico U, or Texas El Paso, not in any major conference. I can’t imagine a big university president going out on a limb for this guy with his history.
Glenn, you are correct, he is a good coach. But he did not get fired for being a bad coach just a bad human. His wife may have something to say about his ability as a recruiter, if you know what I mean.
RedSpeckinaBlueSea
November 8th, 2012
12:02 pm
I believe in forgiving – you don’t have to forget who they are and what they’ve done. To offer Petrino this job would be an insult to Arkansas and an act of pure desparation.
BobbyDawg
November 8th, 2012
12:07 pm
I doubt that he could regain the respect and following of the players at Arkansas or any other SEC school for that matter.
Glenn
November 8th, 2012
12:08 pm
Paddy, I agree! He clearly has displayed poor ethics and bad judgement, and any athletic director should be very hesitant to hire him.
Paddy
November 8th, 2012
12:09 pm
Glenn, come on now! He should not been fired at Ark ? Do you really think that the AD, University President and the Gov of Arkansas were going to let themselves be soiled by this creep? It is not the ‘50 or ‘60 any longer where things were kept from the public. Bad people are shown the door every week in this country when they show themselves to be less than honorable.
Paddy
November 8th, 2012
12:11 pm
Genn, sorry I missed your last post. Point taken!!!
fayncdawg
November 8th, 2012
12:16 pm
NO IF BUTS ANDS! GEORGIA TECH NEEDS HIM BAD!!
Glenn
November 8th, 2012
12:25 pm
Paddy, they were soiled enough with the shady way they went about hiring him.
Draggin' Fly
November 8th, 2012
12:29 pm
georgiadawg70
November 8th, 2012
6:34 am
I think the Hogs should rehire Petrino and make Bill Clinton the offensive(as in repulsive) coordinator.
_______________________________________________
I can hear the post game interview now: “I did NOT have sacks……..”
Are you NUTS?
November 8th, 2012
12:32 pm
Forget about what he did at Arkansas, Putrino has a history of disloyalty and jumping ship whenever the going gets tough (or he gets an offer for more $).
Anyone who would consider hiring someone with his track record is a certifiable idiot who deserves all the trouble Petrino invariably brings with him. Just ask Arthur Blank.
Titanium Tad
November 8th, 2012
12:43 pm
If Petrino were to be coaching at the Technology School in Downtown Atlanta, he would have no choice but to be faithful to his wife.
Why?
The girls @ GT are U-G-A-L-Y, and the only other option is LaShaniqua.
Ken
November 8th, 2012
12:47 pm
Petrino is a sleeze of the highest order – he abandoned a football team after telling the owner who was paying a ton of money that he was staying (left like a thief in the night). He hires his college honey so that he can have something on the side. If Kentucky is crazy emough to hire him, that will make a second coach they have hired with a lot of excess baggage, and someone who is anything but a role model!!!!!!
Rimfire
November 8th, 2012
1:15 pm
The Best fit is HELL…
BallerInUT
November 8th, 2012
1:21 pm
There are no saints in college football, Bear Bryant was an Alcoholic and womanizer and known cheat he is worshipped, Nick Saban had an affair while at LSU, and we have had our share of immoral coaches at UT.
If someone wanted a winner they should hire BP the winning will soon cause people to forget the sins.
GT
November 8th, 2012
1:27 pm
Kentucky, he put Louisville on the map, it is a natural and they will give him space. He will have interference with Auburn, the school really wanting him is Tenn but they haven’t fired Dooley yet. Kentucky needs to get him while they can and their goes the neighborhood. This guy is a better coach than anyone in the division except Spurrier and he is damn close to him.
CRT
November 8th, 2012
1:28 pm
What Petrino did was immoral, unethical and in violation of university policy and labor law. Jimmy Johnson is mistaken.
GT
November 8th, 2012
1:37 pm
Who at Tech wants this guy? Could you imagine Bobby Petrino coming back to Atlanta? One drunk night after a couple too many at the Cheeta he forgets where he works and rolls over to Dome by mistake. I don’t think we need a new coach at Tech besides we couldn’t make fun of the red panty bandit, ex athletic director in Athens. What some don’t recognize is Tech won’t close it doors if football goes away like many in the SEC will have to do. We don’t need this but somebody in the SEC will gladly take him.
NCAA
November 8th, 2012
1:41 pm
Just because some quack on a message board suggests hiring Petrino…does not mean supporters of GT want Petrino. Not a single soul I know has made such a suggestion nor have I personally seen it on the three GT websites I am a member of. A. He simply in no way has the personality to be a Tech coach “as proven with his mistake”. B. He has never won big at his state U. which is so much easier than winning at Tech where we are considered second class citizens in football. C. What is he a defensive genius??? We still have a head coach that will be here till the end of next season at the very earliest. So is he supposed to be our next defensive coordinator? Lunacy!!!
Tech75
November 8th, 2012
1:54 pm
GT – to answer your question,
“No one with any brains.”
Paddy
November 8th, 2012
2:29 pm
Glenn…….right, Auburn has nothing on Arkansas when it comes to backdooring folks and no moral compass! I say again, let him go to Wyoming for a few years and try and win back some support.
pat
November 8th, 2012
3:25 pm
I still haven’t forgiven him for what he did to the Falcons. I hope he commits suicide and rids the world of his stupidity.
RunninWithTheDawgs
November 8th, 2012
3:25 pm
NCAA — Jimmy Johnson is NOT just some quack on a messenger board. He probably knows more about football than all of us put together. I agree with you whole heartedly on the rest of your 1:41 post.
pat
November 8th, 2012
3:29 pm
Seriously, is the College Football coaching vacuum so deep that you have to retred an old POS who has the character of dog poo? Hell, I’ll do it. Give me 3 mil I give you a winning record.
Tommy
November 8th, 2012
3:49 pm
Auburn’s a spectacularly accomplished trailer park school with absolutely zero interest in personal or institutional intergrity; he’ll be a great fit there.