Bobby Petrino: Arkansas Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino was the head football coach for the University of Arkansas and in his four-year career led the Razorbacks to a 34-17 record. He dreamed of driving the Razorbacks to a championship win; however, his dream was shattered due to his own poor and unethical actions. Bobby Petrino’s inappropriate relationship with a former student, misuse of program funds, and dishonesty led to his dismissal from the University. This paper gives a brief overview of the Bobby Petrino case, my thoughts on his behavior and University’s action against him.
Case Overview In overview of the Bobby Petrino case, Petrino was a married man with four children and he had an excellent career coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks football team. He coached the Razorbacks to many victories during his time at the University of Arkansas and won the appreciation, trust, and respect of Razorback fans for his accomplishments. However, he lost all appreciation, trust, and respect when his affair with 25-year-old former University volleyball athlete, Jessica Dorrell was televised and released in the news. His actions brought shame and embarrassment upon his team and the college. On top of having an affair with her, he used program funds to hire her as his athletic coordinator and supplied her with a personal bonus/gift for taking the position. Dorrell was hired into her position because of her relationship with Petrino not her qualifications. There were several applicants who were much more qualified than she was. When Dorrell was hired as the athletic coordinator suspicions of a relationship between her and Petrino began to arise. The truth however, didn’t come out until Petrino was involved in a one vehicle motorcycle accident. Petrino reported to the police that he was the only person involved in the accident and didn’t have a passenger. His report later proved to be false and it turned out that Jessica Dorrell had been on the motorcycle with him and they both fled the scene of the accident. It wasn’t Petrino’s affair that lead to his dismissal as much as, his lying conduct and the negative effect and attention it caused the University of Arkansas.
Petrino’s Unethical Actions In my opinion, Petrino made several unethical decisions including his affair, his conflict of interest when hiring an athletic director, using the company funds inappropriately by hiring his unqualified mistress for the position, and lying to cover up his actions. Petrino was a married man and should have never involved himself in a relationship with another woman. He should have focused on his family and coaching his team. It is important as a coach and leader that he models behavior that teaches commitment, respect, trust, loyalty, and integrity to his team members. Petrino’s affair with Dorrell created the conflict of interest for his decision in hiring a director. Petrino hired Dorell because of his relationship with her, which was a poor and unethical hiring practice. He deprived individuals who were more qualified for the position, their right to equal employment. His decision to hire Dorrell also placed the University at risk for a lawsuit under the EEO Act. Petrino put himself before the University and his team when he tried to cover up his affair. Petrino should have been honest when filing his police report and reporting the accident during the press conference. By lying, he lost the trust and respect of many individuals who looked up to him. His lying modeled poor behavior to his team and brought much negative attention to the University and its athletic program.
University Actions against Petrino The University I feel handled the situation in an appropriate manner but could’ve prevented their situation. When Petrino applied for the coaching position they were aware that he had a previous reputation for dishonesty and had previously engaged in an interwork related affair. They were aware when they hired him of the risks they were taking. The University should have steered away from hiring him because of his past history. However, since they chose to hire him they are forced to deal with the consequences of his actions and I feel they dealt fairly with the situation. The University put him on administrative leave until they investigated the situation more thoroughly. After investigation, they took responsibility for the situation and they dismissed Petrino for his actions even though he had previously made a huge positive impact on their athletic program. The negative impact of his actions and decisions on the University outweighed the victories he had led the Razorbacks to. It appears the University takes more pride in being responsible and setting good examples for their students, than keeping Petrino with his poor character and winning a football game. The culture and environment the University has created by taking responsible action and doing what is ethically right sets a great example for their students and fans.
Concluding Thoughts During Bobby Petrino’s time as a Razorback coach he greatly built up the University of Arkansas’ football program. It took him four years to gain the respect and trust of Razorback students, fans, and faculty, while only a few lies to lose it all. Petrino could have been honest in reporting his affair and taken responsibility for his actions. Being responsible and admitting his wrongs most likely would have lessened the repercussions that followed. Bobby Petrino should have learned from his previous mishaps and hopefully the University has learned from their mistake of negligent hiring.