Bobby Petrino: Arkansas Will Regret Firing Coach over Jessica Dorrell Scandal

Bobby Petrino has reportedly been dismissed from his head coaching position at Arkansas. The Razorbacks will regret this decision. 

They should have punished him, told him that he was on thin ice, and hoped he corrected his lying ways. He has done an outstanding job with the football program and they owed it to themselves to give him one more try. 

ESPN's Joe Schad tweeted out the news that Arkansas, and athletic director Jeff Long, would not be open to giving him another chance. 

"

Bobby Petrino is out at Arkansas

— Joe Schad (@schadjoe) April 10, 2012"

This report is not shocking. Petrino was placed on administrative leave last Thursday after revealing he had been in an "inappropriate relationship" with a passenger who was on his motorcycle when he crashed.

Initially, he said he was alone at the time of the crash. However, it soon came to light that he was not alone. His passenger was Jessica Dorrell, a 25-year-old female subordinate and Petrino's mistress. 

None of this is okay. He is the face of a football program and the leader of young men. He has a responsibility to lead by example. He has a responsibility to be a better man than he was. 

However, he did not need to be fired for this message to be driven home. Arkansas could have issued a statement slamming the coach for his behavior and lies, while letting everyone know that he would now be working in a zero-tolerance environment. 

They could have then had Petrino issue an apology, tell everyone how wrong he was and that he was devoted to providing a better example for everyone in, and connected to, the Arkansas program.

And they should have done this because it was in the best interest of the program. Petrino led the Razorbacks to a 21-5 record over the past two seasons. His team finished in the top five this year. They are also loaded and ready to be a title contender next season. 

Success on the football field does not mean that a school should allow a coach to run free of decency or rules, but it also allows them a little more room for error. That is the way of the world. 

Arkansas had a chance here to have an excellent coach that was supremely motivated to act on his best behavior. Had he not, they could have cut their losses and fired him then. 

Firing him at a later date would not have cost the program much in any facet and the possible rewards for keeping him on are through the roof. This was a short-sighted, knee-jerk reaction.