Bobby Petrino finds a school willing to sell its soul
Here's a screengrab from Western Kentucky's website: WKUsports.com. I think they forgot a few things.
(UPDATED: 6:15 p.m.)
According to Western Kentucky’s mission statement — which I suddenly found reason to Google — the university “prepares students to be productive, engaged, and socially responsible citizen leaders of a global society.”
So we’re left to wonder: Will Western Kentucky ask Bobby Petrino be teach a course in social responsibility, or will he be too busy being productively engaged with an athletic department underling?
Petrino is back in coaching. That was inevitable. On one hand, the man has so much personal and professional baggage that he needs a storage unit. But because he can coach college football, it figured to be a short time before one school’s administration declared, “To hell with morals and scruples! This is college football!”
Western Kentucky stepped up to the soul-selling window. This came after even three schools in the SEC — the conference that invented soul-selling — passed on him. Western Kentucky went where Auburn, Tennessee and Kentucky wouldn’t.
For some reason, WKU officials chose not use this photo.
Somewhere in Bowling Green, WKU president Gary A. Ransdell and athletic director Todd Stewart are refining and rehearsing their, “Everybody deserves a second chance” soundbites in a mirror.
It is one thing for a professional sports team to compromise their principles for the sake of victories, ticket sales and increased revenue streams. But is there any semblance of a value system left in college athletics? Shouldn’t there be some weight given to the concept of molding and leading young man on a college campus, or did that go out with the last Knute Rockne speech?
Think of how Petrino’s last two coaching jobs with the Falcons and Arkansas ended. In grease fires. How can Western Kentucky or any university justify hiring somebody who has proven at every level to be so morally bankrupt?
Stewart must have been struggling for material, because he actually said at Monday’s news conference: “What it comes down to is he made a big mistake. But this is the the United States of America, and we’re a country of second chances.” (Uh, second?)
I’m thinking of “Otter” from the scene in Animal House when the Delta House fraternity has to appear before Faber College administrators: “We’re not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America!”
Petrino, of course, hasn’t made one mistake. He has made several lifetimes’ worth. He is deeply flawed and, frankly, a bad person.
Forget cheating on his wife. That’s between him, his wife and his God. The fact he hired his mistress (a former Arkansas volleyball player) at Arkansas, gave her $20,000 and put her on the university payroll exposed a public university to potential sexual harassment lawsuits.
He was considered so “hot” (in a bad way) that no major program would hire him. So he took a job in the Sun Belt. Welcome to humility.
In committing his egregious violation of employment law (and common sense), he also lied to his superiors about circumstances surrounding the motorcycle accident that led to his firing, admitting to his “inappropriate relationship” with Jessica Dorrell only after she was referenced in the police report (two days later).
He quit on the Falcons in the middle of the season, as cowardly an act as a coach can commit. He didn’t tell players. He left a note in their locker. The day after telling owner Arthur Blank he was committed to the team — prompting Blank to give two national TV interviews on the topic and look foolish — Petrino was in Fayetteville at a midnight news conference doing Pig Sooey chants.
While at Louisville, Petrino secretly met with Auburn representatives in late 2003, even with the season still going and Auburn having a coach (Tommy Tuberville — who, by the way, gave Petrino a job in 2002. There’s your loyalty.). He also interviewed with LSU in 2004 just five days after signing a contract extension, and bolted for the Falcons five months after signing a new 10-year deal
Petrino said he has spent the last eight months trying to repair the damage he’s done to his marriage and family. He also said, “One thing I’ve learned from this is I can be even more of an influence on a young man’s life than just on the football field.”
And that’s the problem.
By Jeff Schultz
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355 comments Add your comment
Jerry Granville
December 10th, 2012
4:57 pm
Y’all live in glass houses….
dawgster7
December 10th, 2012
5:01 pm
Sleep with dogs and you get fleas!!!
The Fulmer Cup Trust
December 10th, 2012
5:04 pm
Butteye we have a special category for Tressel AND Urban Liar. What a hypocrit; Urban Crier is at least as big a liar as Petrino and rumor in Gainesville his wife caught him with a coed and that is what caused all his stress.
dawgster7
December 10th, 2012
5:05 pm
Falcon fans should have no animosity toward Bobby Petrino. Him walking out on them was the BEST thing to ever happen to this franchise as Mike Smith’s record will attest to!
Joey (original)
December 10th, 2012
5:05 pm
PMC,
“Bobby Petrino has lied to EVERY SINGLE PERSON he has ever done business with. He has left EVERY SINGLE JOB worse off than he found it.”
**********************************************************
Louisville under Petrino, beginning with 2003: 9-4, 11-1,9-3, 12-1.
Arkansas under Petrino, beginning with 2008: 5-7, 8-3, 10-3, 11-2
PMC, you may know more about the lying part (and I doubt it), but that second sentence is a lie – are you a sociopath? Both of those programs were crap when he got there, and they both are still in good shape, much better than when he took them over.
Now I couldn’t care less about Petrino, but to submit that he isn’t a good FOOTBALL COACH, and that he didn’t make those programs BETTER, is a little disingenuous.
PMC
December 10th, 2012
5:07 pm
Oh really? How did Louisville fair under Cragthorpe?
How did Arkansas a preseason top 10 team fair this season?
The Fulmer Cup Trust
December 10th, 2012
5:07 pm
Louisville, falcons, Arky and now WKy all have red in their Unis; guess who replaces Richt when he leaves?
Michael Ruffin
December 10th, 2012
5:10 pm
Sure, he’ll win. Sure, he has baggage. Here’s what I don’t understand about WKU hiring him, though: his track record indicates that he will be gone as soon as a job that he considers a better one comes along. You have to figure he’ll only be there one year, two at the most…
PMC
December 10th, 2012
5:11 pm
He screwed Louisville when he left, he screwed the Falcons when he left, he put a knife in Tommy Tubervilles back and this before we found out he screwed his wife and kids over. (This all in addition to all the assistant coaches he screwed over including his brother)
He is short list great when it comes to offensive coordinators in the history of football, that’s why he keeps getting hired, I know he’s a great football coach, but the ancillary stuff has kept him from accomplishing anything of consequence.
Festus
December 10th, 2012
5:13 pm
Schultz couldn’t you at least run another picture of his Arkansas sweetie? Look at what we’ve got in Washington. Petrino is a step up the ladder. Lots of hot women at Western Kentucky. Now restrict the list to the ones who can balance themselves on a motorcycle. When Bobby Petrino came to Atlanta he was expecting to be coaching Michael Vick. Instead he got DeAngelo Hall and the third string QB from the Detroit Pussycats. The message is if you want your daughters to be able to meet an old man with money send her to Western Kentucky where she can learn the meaning of Hilltopper. If he didn’t have to have hip replacement surgery it wouldn’t surprise me if Preacher Man over in Athens took to a motorcycle. But he’d be giving UGA a ride.
Joey (original)
December 10th, 2012
5:14 pm
Wow, so it’s Petrino’s fault that he had a #5 team, and John L Smith coached it to oblivion?
So, when Saban eventually leaves Bama, and his successor goes 8-5, it’s still Saban’s fault?
PMC
December 10th, 2012
5:15 pm
It’s almost like playing chess with a clock. You punch the button on that hire, and then wait and see how long it takes for him to screw over the people that put thier faith in him.
Ybor City
December 10th, 2012
5:24 pm
Jeff, is it really so bad to hire a coach who cheated on his wife when the most revered conference in college football has a mode of operation that’s based on cheating? Remember your column “It’s a little late to clean up SEC” from 8/19/02….? Most of the BCS is nothing but cheats, and you know it.
DONNAN OF A NEW ERA
December 10th, 2012
5:32 pm
Jessica Dorrell is still engaged to that guy and is now working in South Carolina if anyone is interested. She’s pretty hot.
BKbroila
December 10th, 2012
5:32 pm
The guy can coach….it was bound to happen…
Joey (original)
December 10th, 2012
5:33 pm
Ybor City (obviously a techie), nice, but idiotic.
Your program is the only one in the state of Georgia on NCAA Probation – and you have been for near a decade.
Why not clean up your own house before you start accusing other programs and conferences of wrong-doing?
Felix
December 10th, 2012
5:37 pm
Well said Jeff. Unreal.
WWJD? To Tell The Truth
December 10th, 2012
5:44 pm
As much as I dislike Bobby Petrino for what he did as Falcons coach…DOES ANYBODY READING THIS THINK THAT BOBBY PETRINO IS THE ONLY NCAA COACH (REGARDLESS OF THE SPORT) WHO HASN’T CRASHED HIS DIPSTICK INTO SOME PRETTY YOUNG THING???
Do you honestly believe that more than a few of these egotistical, overpaid and pampered COACHES haven’t had HUNDREDS of PYT’s throw themselves at the coach or the coach goes after the PYT’s on their own?
Petrino was just an idiot who thought that a motorcycle ride with his sweet-thang would give his viagra time to kick in before his next hard decision on recruiting. AND, HE LIED!!!!!
Will All NCAA coaches who are currently dipping into the co-ed pool please stand up and acknowledge that you are no better than Petrino……WE ARE WAITING!!!
Delbert D.
December 10th, 2012
5:46 pm
If Petrino can match the record of the fine young coach he replaced it will be surprising.
Jasper Mississippi
December 10th, 2012
5:47 pm
Hell yes WKU, It IS all about money, that shit head is going to help bring in the revenue that runs that Athletics Program. Money comes from football, plain and simple. If you want to keep your other programs alive then just leave it be.
BobDawg
December 10th, 2012
6:01 pm
So what is the Over/Under for him leaving this Gig for “greener” pastures??? Love the Pic as always, Jeff…
DawginLex
December 10th, 2012
6:01 pm
WKU opens with UK and then UT
2-0 in the SEC
More wins than UK and Auburn had combined in 2012
WKU just hired a better coach than the following
Cincy
Auburn
Arkansas
Tenn
S Florida
BobDawg
December 10th, 2012
6:05 pm
DAWGIN LEX… WHHHAAAT UP??!!!
Rick James
December 10th, 2012
6:07 pm
He’ll be back at in the SEC or another major in two years..
not quite
December 10th, 2012
6:12 pm
Jack Burch, I believe you may have misunderstood the reference to Warrick Dunn. When Jeff said “even” Warrick Dunn called Petrino classless, it wasn’t a knock on Dunn; I understood him to mean that even someone who generally has nothing bad to say about anyone was forced to acknowledge that in Petrino’s case, there was nothing else to be said.
DawginLex
December 10th, 2012
6:15 pm
Bobdawg
Staying off of here as much as possible due to the high volume of trolls and idiots. You had any DeSha’s cornbread lately?
JSS
December 10th, 2012
6:17 pm
@ Jeff Schultz…
How can a program right its ship like Western Kentucky had with Taggard and then not have a president or a board of regents with the backbone to not let Petrino anywhere near their program? Man, that is the Arthur Blank revisited, someone has the mark on their forehead! SMDH!!!
Benjamin
December 10th, 2012
6:18 pm
If he was a black coach he would have never gotten a head coaching job at a major university again in his life. However, just like Linsey Lohan , Robert Dowey Jr. it does not matter what you do as long as you are white.
Ted M
December 10th, 2012
6:28 pm
if the school’s administration declared, “To hell with morals and scruples! This is college football!” I would be more ok with that than some BS about 2nd chances or he’s turned his life around.
WKY sold the soul for 3 years of BP tops.
I can read!
December 10th, 2012
6:31 pm
Am I the only one who noticed that Schultz wrote “mattress” instead of mistress in the 11th paragraph? Despite the comedic aspect of that typo, come on editor!
If it wasn’t a mistake, then I think it is trashy to call any woman a “mattress”. Great job!
Vino Fino
December 10th, 2012
6:33 pm
Enter your comments here
daveda
December 10th, 2012
6:34 pm
Powerful commentary …
JC
December 10th, 2012
6:35 pm
How did WKU sell their souls? They hired a football coach who made a mistake, a big mistake, but nonetheless, a mistake. He was bright enough to know he couldn’t coach in the NFL, so he left the Falcons. He should keep his commitments to the teams he coaches but that is between him and those teams. I don’t like Petrino but he does know how to coach. Personally, I think you will see Petrino coaching Missouri, ‘Ole Miss or maybe even Texas Tech within the next 2 to 3 seasons.
Ted M
December 10th, 2012
6:35 pm
um WWJD? To Tell The Truth… Petrino did way more then just have an affair. Did you not read the article?
Vino Fino
December 10th, 2012
6:37 pm
Jeff- can you please set aside your personal agenda against Bobby Petrino and move on? NOBODY CARES!!! Why would anyone looking to an Atlanta source for sports information want to read your thoughts about someone who hasn’t been relevant to Atlanta / GA sports for 5 years??? We get it- the guy’s a jerk, you don’t like him, blah, blah- it’s ancient history- move on. Please.
Tech Man
December 10th, 2012
6:38 pm
Now, what parent is going to allow this creep in their living room to talk to their son about coming to WKU to play football for him. Maybe he will promise the kid motorcycle driving safety.
DawginLex
December 10th, 2012
6:40 pm
I can read!
December 10th, 2012
6:31 pm
Am I the only one who noticed that Schultz wrote “mattress” instead of mistress in the 11th paragraph? Despite the comedic aspect of that typo, come on editor!
If it wasn’t a mistake, then I think it is trashy to call any woman a “mattress”. Great job!
********************
POST OF THE DAY
Paddy
December 10th, 2012
6:42 pm
Kentucky is still #1 in the coach hiring sweepstakes!
Tom Mitchell
December 10th, 2012
6:49 pm
Petrino should hire Gene Chizit as his Assistant Head Coach…that way Western Kentucky would have the market cornered on white trash coaches.
eddy
December 10th, 2012
7:04 pm
Most if not all of us are flawed. Most if not all of us seek redemption by repenting of our many sins. Not sure that Bobby has quite gotten the idea that to be truly forgiven, one must truly profess one’s sins, ask for forgiveness and strive to sin no more…operative word is strive. His past track record supports that he is truly sorry…..sorry that he got caught and is no longer coaching football. Time will tell. Hope that WKU has an ironclad contract that enables them to fire him immediately for no cause and no compensation.
crackbaby
December 10th, 2012
7:05 pm
Schultzie,
Way to bust out the canned column. In addition to filling in the blanks with WKU and its President and AD, you could have updated the photo.
Yawn……
crackbaby
December 10th, 2012
7:07 pm
how about telling us who WKU plays the next two seasons so we can put some produce away for later “donation” to Booby Petrino
Orange12
December 10th, 2012
7:08 pm
I sure hope this works out. The Toppers are already an up and coming ball club.and if Coach Petrino can put his demons aside this could work well for Western. It’s got to be tough for them losing their coach to S Florida especially after a successful season. This year is their first FBS Bowl game. I wish them well.
ANN MURRAY
December 10th, 2012
7:10 pm
GA should hire him as head coach, he would fit right in with the thugs and gangstas.
Reality in WKU land
December 10th, 2012
7:13 pm
Facts: WKU is now on the map of college football with this hire, both with the media and with college football.
Another fact: there will be more than a few young WKU coeds walking around Pregnant, by Spring practice time.
what a clown of a supposed mentor to young men, WKU hired.
Astropig
December 10th, 2012
7:13 pm
I think that there’s a lot of risk here for both sides. Obviously for WKU,Petrino has a wandering eye.(Pun intended).9-3 10-2 and he gets another top tier gig and sneaks out with locker notes.And for what? It’s not like Western is going to play in the BCS or playoffs anytime soon in the Sunbelt.He can’t get them to a big money bowl,so how much can he really be worth?
The risk is higher for Coach Pinocchio.He’s about to see what it’s like back in the bus leagues,where the ‘Toppers are relevant in about a 15 mile circle around campus.He’s not going to be on CBS’s 3:30 game every week to get a free 3 hour commercial to attract top talent.The best assistants are not dreaming of a job in Bowling Green,either.He’s done pretty well in the college game so far, but now we’ll see if he can coach a lick.If he has a run of bad luck, (a couple of 6-6′ers and a mid December no-show bowl),the big boys might just decide that he’s not worth the fuss and bother.
It’s CFB. Anything is possible.
Holtz talks like Elmer Fudd
December 10th, 2012
7:16 pm
Where is Skip Holtz? Did he get fired by S. Florida? without his mouthy daddy, Junior Holtz is nothing, apparently.
TomL
December 10th, 2012
7:17 pm
I really don’t understand all of this 24 months and he’s gone talk. . . Colorado and Texas Tech still have openings, if they’re interested in Petrino, he’ll be gone tomorrow!
Michael
December 10th, 2012
7:19 pm
At least the three cheaters, Pitino, Calipari and Petrino, are confined to the same state.
Ricky Grooms
December 10th, 2012
7:20 pm
There goes all the respect that I used to have for Western.