Spreading The Field

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Dear athletes and coaches who are on the national spotlight,

You are not invincible and every mistake you make will be seen by the entire public.

Every time we see a national figure screw up, we shake our heads in shame and wonder what the Hell they were thinking.

I’m fully aware that we are all human and we all foul up every now and then. We all have flaws and nobody’s perfect. But a mistake as big as the recent situation involving now, former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, is jaw-dropping.

When I think of Petrino, I see a train wreck. Every time I see something going right with him, I expect the worst. It’s an enigma.

Since 2003, Petrino has been someone that has showed promise as a bonafide head coach. What he was able to do in Louisville was awesome. An athletic program known for its basketball program, was being looked as a college football threat. Twice the Cardinals finished with over 10 wins. Louisville knew they had a good thing going and signed him for a ridiculous 10-year contract worth $25.6 million in July of 2006. Six months later Petrino bailed and signed to become the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL.

Petrino took the Falcons to a 3-10 record and missed the last three games and abruptly resigned to head back to the college game as the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Looking like he would be back in his comfort zone, Petrino slowly rebuilt the Razorbacks and he helped lead them to their first ever BCS game against Ohio State in the All-State Sugar Bowl. They would lose, but they would still be a threat.

A year later, Petrino took Arkansas to the Cotton Bowl, where they would beat the offensive hungry Kansas State Wildcats. Their only losses were to the top two teams, LSU and Alabama.
Arkansas looked like they could be a threat for the upcoming 2012 season. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

Unfortunately the train wreck continued for Petrino.

Starting off as a cause for concern, Petrino got into a major motorcycle accident. Reporting to the school that he was riding alone, it was found out that he was riding with someone that was not related to him.

Former Arkansas volleyball player, Jessica Dorrell, was with Petrino on the motorcycle. Dorrell, 25, was not only with the 51-year-old Petrino, the two were in a secret relationship. I don’t think this will go well with his wife and kids.

Due to not disclosing his reckless behavior and relationship with Dorrell, Petrino was fired this week. And the train cars have derailed.

His family has to be furious. How does one fix this puzzle? Making it even worse is that there are alleged nude photos of the former coach that were sent to Dorrell.

Forget the train derailment. This one has exploded.

Petrino’s life has fallen apart and I believe it’s only going to get worse. His actions are disgusting, irresponsible and damaging to his family. But it’s the price you pay when you are under the national coaching spotlight.

Sincerely,

Juan Carlos Reyes

Spreading The Field Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive