The big lie

Should Bobby Petrino be fired?

Incredible as it might seem, that is the difficult question resting at the heart of the all-together bracing storyline gripping Razorback Nation.

To recap: Over the last several days Hog fans have learned a great deal about the much respected head coach of their Arkansas football Razorbacks, including: that on April 1 he sustained multiple injuries in a Madison County motorcycle crash; that he lied to prevent the public from learning that a young, attractive female was with him during the accident; and, as of April 5, that Petrino has been placed on paid administrative leave while Jeff Long, the UA’s athletic director, tries to pick out facts amidst the gossip and make sense of this sad affair.

Indeed, Petrino’s admission of a “previous inappropriate relationship” seemed to confirm rumors that began spreading like wildfire following the release of an Arkansas State Police accident report which gave reporters the name of Petrino’s passenger: Jessica Dorrell, a former Arkansas volleyball standout and current athletic department employee.

Not surprisingly, the always tight-lipped football coach has expressed a desire to mend his relationships with family, players, fans and school officials. In the meantime, Hog fans are already busy drawing conclusions, as message boards and radio call-in shows have been in virtual meltdown mode since Petrino’s admission of guilt.

Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on this one.

Most think it unlikely that Long would go so far as to fire Petrino over a private infraction, though admittedly one he was caught lying about. With a Cotton Bowl victory in the immediate past and hopes high for a stellar 2012 campaign — not to mention the ongoing construction of a state-of-the-art football operations center and dreams of further expansions to Reynolds Razorback Stadium — there seems to be an assumption out there that Long will reprimand (but not terminate) Petrino for placing the university in such an embarrassing light.

And yet many sports fans in the Ozark hills and beyond seem sure that Petrino deserves to be fired just the same. A few days perspective may negate some of those passions, but Hog fans who believe strong moral character is part and parcel with being a college football coach won’t soon forget about Petrino’s apparent indiscretions, specifically his failing to set a proper example for the young student-athletes his program shepherds.

Elsewhere are those who will insist that even public figures have an expectation of privacy. Supporters say it is time we leave the coach to his neck brace, and note the importance of keeping things in perspective and recall that Petrino was tripped up for something away from the field of play and not, say, paying defensive players to hurt the other team’s stars.

In the meantime, it shouldn’t take much time before some enterprising reporter or private citizen thinks to file a Freedom of Information request with the UA to learn more about Petrino’s possible past contact with Dorrell via texts, phone calls and e-mails. Who can say what else (if anything) we have yet find out about.

Assuming Petrino’s fall from grace ends with this week’s event, his job would appear to be safe. Clearly Long will want to retain Petrino’s services if at all possible, not to mention all the gold mint his winning ways makes for the UA each year.

Thus, the compromise path of paid administrative leave, which gives Razorback Nation time to acclimate itself to the rumors (and time for the most reactionary demands to die down) this story is generating while creating space for Long to do some digging.

Of course, should Long come across previous examples of efforts by Petrino to block UA administrators from learning about this “previous inappropriate relationship” the athletic director may well have no choice but to release one of the nation’s best college football coaches.

Personally, what Coach Petrino does on his own time is his business. I’d prefer he spend it with his family, but again, it’s not my place to say. Arkansas fans disappointed with what they believe Petrino’s behavior to have been should remind themselves that we didn’t hire Billy Graham to coach football on the Hill. We hired a motivator of men who brings an outstanding mental acumen to the field of play that gives the Razorbacks a great chance of winning every game.

Perhaps the real problem isn’t Petrino’s lie to Long and the public (many others in his position would have done the same thing) but the nagging reality that Bobby Petrino, more than even Chancellor G. David Gearhart, is the standard bearer of the University of Arkansas on the national stage. For this reason, the UA has suffered (this week, anyway) for its relationship with Petrino. And major state universities cannot afford for its bottom line (be it recruiting, fundraising, or ticket sales) to be seriously injured by a single individual’s mistakes.

Coach Petrino has built up much goodwill during his four seasons in Fayetteville.

People like him, believe in his football IQ, and more than anything want to see this superb coach bring home a national championship to the Razorback Nation. With Petrino we are well within reach of that goal, and most fans won’t likely cut bait with that knowledge in mind.

I want to see Coach Petrino survive this. But it’s going to take a lot of work to win back the trust of a fan base that has been so good to him and his family. Hopefully he’ll find the path to redemption that could give all of us the solace we seek.