The House of Blue

The timing of this is what is going to make it so crazy....an out of cycle hire. I can't even remember who the hot coaches are, but somebody is about to get a loaded team with a ton of expectations to go with it. To make things even worse for the new head coach they are going to come into a situation with a divided fan base.

If Long can make this a good hire he will deserve a TON of credit.

Integrity over wins every time in my book. Arkansas just got some meaningless rep points from me today. A punishment was required but don't think many would of fired him. Well, unless more comes out from the story that might of made it no choice at all. Regardless, great job Arkansas.

Seems word leaking out Arkansas fired him only after Petrino refused to accept penalties that were going to be levied on him. Even still, hard to feel too bad for them given they knew what they were getting. He snaked Louisville to nearly go to Auburn, then did it to go to Atlanta; then snaked Atlanta to go to Arkansas.

Karma Bobby, Karma

I take my hat off to the Hawgs. I didn't think they would do it.

I'm guessing the following phone converstaion took place this evening after Petrino was let go:

Gus Malzahn: Hello?

Jeff Long: Gus.....that you? This is Arkansas AD Jeff Long.

Gus Malzahn: Hey Jeff...how are you?

Jeff Long: I'm good....thanks for asking. Listen, are you stil married to Kristie?

Gus Malzahn: Yes, why do you ask?.................................Hello? Hello? Hello?.................

Would be interesting if he was offered.

I don't know him but I know people who know him pretty well and they are universal in their opinion that he is the biggest jerk on earth. He was hated at UL even when he was winning big. I have never heard a kind word about the guy. You can see him firing off at the AD over some proposed penalty and the whole thing getting ugly. I think the big kicker is his hiring the woman and that she was engaged to a Arkansas athletic department administrator. One, you have the whole favoritism issue with potential lawsuits from anyone who didn't get the job she took and two you have the open hostility within UA athletics over the football coach diddling the fiancée of one of his co-workers. The whole thing borders on being theatrical. What an epic flame out.

I don't know that we have to give them credit.

1. Fraternizing with a subordinate- looked really down upon because it leaves an institution open to sexual harassment claims from both the subordinate and those who may feel pressured by the situation to be quiet or who feel they are not getting a fair share.
No institution wants to put up with that.

2. If he used his position to have her hired, that would be another strike against him as public jobs often have specific fairness and openness criteria. Plus, that loads the harassment angle more. Quid pro quo? Strike two. These things make institutions very unhappy.

3. The rider was engaged to the Swimming & Diving coach. That crossed more lines and would make an institution very unhappy.

4. He lied to the University. Strike three or four or whatever. With such a tangle of connections that scream sexual harassment potential they could not put up with lying. Plus, I read elsewhere that he may not have agreed to the university's planned punishment.

They didn't have a choice in the matter, IMO.

He really didn't leave them any choice after hiring his mistress and throwing in twenty large as a bonus. They would have had so many people breathing down their necks regarding that hire, this was their only choice. IMO

So if BP decided to repent of his ways tomorrow, would all of you good, ethical people be content if he was hired at UK somewhere down the road?

I'd throw a party.