Bobby Petrino, who was fired as head coach of Arkansas’ football team after crashing a motorcycle while driving it with a lover half his age, is reportedly returning to the program to serve as offensive coordinator, multiple outlets reported.
Bobby Petrino has agreed to return to @RazorbackFB as offensive coordinator and a deal is being finalized, sources tell ESPN. Petrino won 10 games in 2010 and 11 in 2011 as the Hogs’ head coach, but was fired following the motorcycle accident scandal.
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) November 28, 2023
Petrino last graced the sidelines of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium during the 2011 season, when he led the Razorbacks to an 11-2 record and a Cotton Bowl victory. Typically a season like that would earn a coach another year at least. But the story of how Petrino came to find himself out of a job shortly after winning one of college football’s most prestigious trophies is an epic tale.
On April 1, 2021, Petrino crashed his motorcycle. According to the SW Times Record, the crash resulted in four broken ribs and a cracked vertebrae in his ribs. The crash also resulted in one of the most hilarious and iconic college football photos of all time when Petrino showed up to a press conference red-faced from his injuries wearing a neck brace.
I’m sorry, but Bobby Petrino being fired as the HC of Arkansas (morality clause) and being hired back 11 years later as the OC is just WILD to me. pic.twitter.com/sKczLOkIrQ
— Max Godby (@OhMyGodby64) November 29, 2023
Petrino, the SW Times reports, claimed the crash “involved no other individuals.” But 911 calls of the incident as well as the police report refuted that claim. It turns out Petrino wasn’t alone. He was accompanied by 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell, a former volleyball player whom Petrino had hired to be the team’s player development coordinator, per the SW Times. Turns out the then-51-year-old Petrino, who was married with four kids, was having an extramarital affair with Dorrell, also married. Petrino had even gifted her $20,000 which she used to buy a new car her first week on the job, according to Arkansas Live. (RELATED: Major College Football Coach Gets Fired. He’s Still Owed A Sickening Amount Of Money)
Then-Athletic Director Jeff Long cited the payment, among other things, as grounds for termination under the morality clause of Petrino’s contract. “Your conduct and actions in this matter have generated voluminous negative media stories and opinions, within Arkansas and nationally, that have harmed the reputation of the University of Arkansas and our athletics program,” Long stated in his termination letter. “We are now faced with the task of restoring the reputation of our institution and our athletics programs that many individuals and teams have worked hard to build over the years,” Long stated.
Long, however, is long gone, replaced in 2017 by current AD Hunter Yurachek. So Bobby gets another shot, this time as a coordinator rather than head coach. The guy may not have the best moral compass, but he undoubtedly knows his Xs and Os. Besides, Arkansas hasn’t eclipsed his eleven-win season since letting him go, so he’s worth taking a flyer on. I’d just make sure I penciled in a “no motorcycles” clause into his contract this time around.