Bobby Petrino: Arkansas Must Cut Ties with Troubled Head Coach

Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino has brought an incredible amount of negative attention to himself and his university this offseason following a motorcycle crash that involved a 25-year-old female employee, according to ESPN.com.

The 51-year-old Petrino has effectively turned his vastly-improved Razorbacks program into a circus, and it's a shame considering that Arkansas has increased its wins in every season under Petrino.

The Razorbacks have gone 37-14 in four years with Petrino at the helm, but more impressively, 21-5 in the last two. 

Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Petrino's integrity has come into question. Back in 2007 when Petrino was coaching the NFL's struggling Atlanta Falcons, he fled to Arkansas with three games remaining in the season, leaving behind only a note on each player's locker.

After Petrino's latest wrong turn, Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long has a decision to make and firing the head coach, who has been placed on administrative leave, is a very real option.

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"A clause in Petrino's contract gives Long the right to suspend or fire the 51-year-old coach for conduct that 'negatively or adversely affects the reputation of the (university's) athletics programs in any way.'" - via ESPN.com

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The question in this case is not whether Petrino is an excellent recruiter and college football coach, but how important he is to representing Arkansas football and winning games.

Coaches don't win games, players do, and Arkansas has the players to contend for a national championship in 2012.

Petrino has made a mockery of not only his university, but himself, and with the 24-hour coverage of his missteps being broadcast across the country, recruits will most likely have second thoughts about him and his program.

Petrino's reputation has been tarnished and the only sensible move for Arkansas at this point is to cut ties with the troubled head coach.