Arkansas Football: In the End, It Was Petrino's Ego That Got the Best of Him

Bobby Petrino left Arkansas in the same way that he went in, under the cover of night and in a cloud of controversy.

Raise your hand if you're shocked (put it down, you shouldn't be).

In the end, it wasn't the motorcycle accident or the cover-up that ultimately got Petrino canned, it was his ego.

Athletic director Jeff Long said in his press conference that that Bobby Petrino abused his authority in the hiring of Jessica Dorrell that benefited himself, and thus jeopardized the football program (via @ClayTravisBGID).

"

Long: Coach Petrino abused his authority when he made a staff hire that benefited himself and jeopardized integrity of football program.

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravisBGID) April 11, 2012"

It wasn't just the football program, it was the entire athletic department.

Long revealed in his press conference that Petrino paid Dorrell $20,000 in cash shortly after being hired to work on his staff in on-campus recruiting, and that she was one of 159 applicants for the position. That's a lot of lawsuits that could have been coming Arkansas' way.

He honestly thought he could get away with it; and had it not been for a motorcycle accident, he might have.

Bobby being Bobby.

This is the same guy that lied on Monday Night Football the night before he quit the Atlanta Falcons, and notified his players via a four-sentence laminated note. This is the same guy that interviewed for Tommy Tuberville's job—his former boss—while it was still being occupied by Tuberville.

If you lie to your boss and put your company in the position to potentially be sued, you get in trouble. That's true in any profession, not just in the coaching industry.

Now Arkansas is left twisting in the wind, and it has itself to blame.

The circumstances surrounding Petrino's exit might not have been obvious when he was hired; but the fact that it was going to get messy should have been.

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