Bobby Petrino Fired: Breaking Down the Coach's Apology Statement

Part of the reason we've been so well connected here at Your Best 11 when it comes to the Bobby Petrino situation is our main man down in Arkansas, Chris Bahn.

Today is no different, as Bahn was one of the first to have Petrino's post-firing statements up over at Arkansas Sports 360. Obviously, no one expected Petrino to talk after his firing—to be fair to the coach, a lot of guys don't go in front of the media after losing their job.

In Petrino's case, he's got a lot of repairing to do, both professionally and privately. 

That said, the statement itself just left a bad taste in my mouth. Petrino already displayed his wanton disregard for authority through his actions that ultimately torpedoed his shot at leading the Razorbacks to the promised land. Now, in his statement, instead of absorbing the blame and walking away, hat in hand, asking for forgiveness, he elects to make efforts to defend himself and his actions.

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The simplest response I have is: I’m sorry. These two words seem very inadequate. But that is my heart. All I have been able to think about is the number of people I’ve let down by making selfish decisions. I’ve taken a lot of criticism in the past. Some deserved, some not deserved. This time, I have no one to blame but myself.

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Sorry is a great start, because he did let people down because of his selfish moves.

However, crafting a statement where you're sorry doesn't hold nearly as much water when it is followed by saying you didn't deserve some of the criticism that you have received before. This isn't about Auburn or Louisville or Atlanta. Most certainly now is not the time defend those deceitful actions.

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I chose to engage in an improper relationship. I also made several poor decisions following the end of that relationship and in the aftermath of the accident. I accept full responsibility for what has happened.

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This is an interesting paragraph. Not because he's wrong, but because in this instance, Petrino needs to step to the plate. The inappropriate relationship, the $20,000 and the well-constructed lie were not "poor decisions" or errors in judgement. They were calculated choices made in a self-serving manner. They didn't just happen.

This is what Petrino did. Perhaps my vitriol over the "what has happened" part stems from a mom who forced me to say "what I did" when I was wrong.

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I’m sure you heard Jeff Long’s reasons for termination. There was a lot of information shared. Given the decision that has been made, this is not the place to debate Jeff’s view of what happened. In the end, I put him in the position of having to sort through my mistakes, and that is my fault.

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Here we see one of my favorite moments. The subtle pointing at Jeff Long. The Jeff Long that Petrino lied to about the entire situation. The Jeff Long that Petrino kept in the dark while the information stewed just below the surface, waiting to erupt. The Jeff Long that Petrino threw under the bus with his hiring practices and $20,000 payout.

There really isn't any debate to be had, in any forum. These weren't Jeff Long's reasons, they were the reasons. The reasons that anyone in the same position would have pulled the trigger on Petrino.

Sorry Bobby, we all watched Jeff Long up there having to pull the plug on the guy he just invested a ton of money in—you don't really get a debate.

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I have hurt my wife Becky and our four children. I’ve let down the University of Arkansas, my team, coaching staff and everyone associated with the Razorbacks football program. As a result of my personal mistakes, we will not get to finish our goal of building a championship program. 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. We have left the program in better shape than we found it, and I want the Razorback Nation to know that it is my hope that the program achieves the success it deserves.

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Big paragraph, little response. Instead of going the Atlanta route and calling karma, I hope he does get to meet with his players. Not because he deserves it, but because the players do. They deserve to look him in the eye and ask why.

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I want to thank Chancellor Gearhart, Jeff Long, the Board of Trustees, the University administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni and fans for the opportunity to serve as the head football coach at the University of Arkansas for the past four years.

I was not given an opportunity to continue in that position. I wish that had been the case, but that was not my decision. I wish nothing but the best for the Razorbacks football program, the university and the entire Razorback Nation.

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The best thank you the Hogs could have had was some honesty and a coach who stayed in the grey area, not veering wildly out of bounds into something that would cost him his job.

As for the opportunity to continue in the position, he lost that when he brought the big lights of the big media to Fayetteville by lying. It was his decision. It was his decision—not when he started the relationship with Dorrell, but when he hired her, gave her cash and then lied about it. 

Arkansas football is not in the position it is in because of the decision Jeff Long made. Arkansas football is not in the position it is in because of "what happened." They're in this current spot because of what Bobby Petrino did and how he painted himself in a corner through telling self-serving lies about his prior actions. 

When you're sorry, say you're sorry. When you screw up in a big way, absorb the blame and try to fix things.

Don't attempt to pawn off the situation on the decision that you forced.