Now that Bobby Petrino has released a statement on his own downfall, the process of assessing this soap opera at the University of Arkansas can be done in a more complete manner. One of the most central takeaways from Tuesday night's events is that Petrino bears all the marks of a severely sick person, an addict who needs an industrial-strength intervention and the therapeutic reprogramming which flows from it.
To say the very least, Petrino did not bow out gracefully despite the avalanche of evidence that had been assembled against him. In his statement, the ex-coach at Arkansas revealed just how addicted he was to the thrill of coaching and the real-world power it gave him. Petrino exposed himself as a one-man wishing well on a night when his wishes deserved no consideration whatsoever. He said at one point, "I wish that I had been given the opportunity to meet with the players and staff prior to this evening's press conference and hope that I will be given the opportunity to give my apologies and say my goodbyes in person." (The 2007 Atlanta Falcons must have laughed at that line.) Later, Petrino said, "I love coaching. I of course hope I can find my way back to the profession I love." (Plot that next move, Bobby. It's all about you.) Near the end of his statement, Petrino continued his litany of wishes, saying, "I was not given an opportunity to continue in that position (Arkansas head coach). I wish that had been the case, but that was not my decision."
Those are the words of an addict, plain and simple. Petrino tore apart an athletic department by taking down three employees – himself, UA swimming and diving coach Josh Morgan, and football recruiting coordinator Jessica Dorrell. Petrino has been fired, Morgan left his post, and Dorrell – though still employed by Arkansas as of Wednesday morning – is likely to be relieved of her duties before too long, her career in tatters. Petrino strained one marriage (the one he has with wife Becky) and prevented another marriage (the one that was going to unite Dorrell with Morgan) from happening. He also stuck his nose into an employment process, helping Dorrell to become a finalist for a job sought by 159 applicants. He also manipulated state law enforcement by trying to control the flow of information from Arkansas state troopers in the aftermath of his motorcycle accident last week. A person who commits this many sins while serving as the highest-paid state employee in Arkansas does not earn the right to dictate the terms of his departure. Such a person should not speak of his professional ambitions or leave even the slightest impression that he was somehow treated unfairly. Such a person should not suggest that – in light of all the facts (including his $20,000 payment to his just-hired mistress and his manipulation of the employment process surrounding the hiring of said mistress) – there was any reasonable debate to be had about his employment status.
No, Bobby Petrino did not own enough leverage or standing to suggest that there was a legitimate push-and-pull tension between two competing resolutions to his situation at Arkansas. As bad as his actions were to begin with, the $20,000 payment to Dorrell and her elevation over 158 job competitors fully sealed the coach's fate. It wasn't even a decision for Jeff Long in the end. Complaining about being denied certain opportunities creates the impression that Petrino was not treated as fairly as possible.
Moreover, if there was any doubt about the (lack of) sincerity in Petrino's statement, it was blasted away by one telling remark flavored with the sick scent of impending legal combat. At one point in his statement, Petrino's subtle but real complaints – the words of an addict who has to portray himself as a victim – gave way to a more naked declaration of his ambition to play hardball and fight a reality that no decent human being would dare to contest in such a position. Petrino said that "this is not the place to debate Jeff’s view of what happened," a clear indication that he wants to debate his (now-) former boss in another venue, presumably a courtroom.
Many human beings commit severe sins, but once they're caught, they have the decency to fully accept the magnitude of their wrongdoing and the enormity of the pain and relational suffering they've caused… to their spouse, their children, their assistant coaches, their players, their athletic department colleagues, their school, and the state they worked for. Bobby Petrino's mind is still focused on trying to leverage a situation to his advantage… as much as he can gain, at any rate.
It's bad enough that Bobby Petrino essentially fired himself. (If anyone on this earth thinks that Petrino is in any way a victim here, or that Jeff Long should sit on the hot seat if Arkansas football struggles over the next two years, God help us…) What's far worse is that Petrino, even now, doesn't understand how much damage he's done to so many lives and relationships. If he did, he wouldn't be trying to protest the way in which he's been treated. Petrino – a man whose ring and bank account have been passionately kissed throughout the past nine years – is in no position to complain that he has been somehow cheated or shortchanged.
When a person hires a mistress who happens to be the fiancée of a workplace colleague, pays that mistress $20,000, and then complains that his boss denied him certain opportunities – enough to want to debate that boss in a court of law – one can safely say that an addict is on the loose. Many members of the college football commentariat entered Tuesday night thinking that Petrino's future was uncertain. In light of Tuesday evening's many revelations, it's clear in hindsight that retaining him was simply not an option at Arkansas. Gambling, cheating, lying, manipulating, fighting, running away from commitments – Bobby Petrino is addicted to all of those activities and more. No university could possibly retain such a person as its head football coach, and no state could possibly retain such a person as its highest-paid employee.
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