(Photo by KSNT.com)
I wasn't going to comment on this since I have a lot on my plate, but I wasn't going to let it slide, either.
Former West Virginia basketball head coach Bob Huggins "resigned" at that position after being arrested for driving under the influence. This came after Huggins was in hot water due to the homophobic remarks on a radio show. So, if you are keeping score, that is TWO infractions against Huggins that are offenses that would cause you to be fired. Here's the problem: Huggins says that he didn't resign and wants his job back, despite being in instances that gave the university a black eye. Also, he stated that he will sue West Virginia if he isn't reinstated. Yeah, this isn't going to end well.
This is what we call "entitlement." Several coaches in the college ranks think that having a million-dollar contract gives them the opportunity to do whatever the hell you want. Unfortunately, the NCAA isn't a paradise where there are no rules and anarchy reigns. There are strict rules that are enforced, so it could be a level playing field for every school in the country. (Pause) HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!! There are times when you have to laugh out loud. Anyways, this situation with Huggins has shined a light on how college coaches can think they can get away with anything they want.
You remember a coach named Bobby Petrino? He went to Arkansas in a shady way. He told Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank that he was going to stay as the Falcons head coach, only to leave two days later and putting a note in his players' lockers saying how he wanted to stay for the fight. This wasn't the offense that got from in hot water, but it is shady as hell. Apparently, you can't go on a bike ride, get in an accident, show up at a news conference all screwed up and tell reporters that no one else was with him. But, someone was with him, a woman who would turn out to be his mistress. Even after this, Petrino thought he did nothing wrong. The University of Arkansas thought otherwise and fired him. Petrino figured that being a big-time coach, he was inhumed from getting in trouble. Nope, just nope.
Joe Paterno was one of the greatest college football coaches of all-time. Penn State was a benchmark in college football due to Paterno and his coaching staff developing their players to be stout football players and great men throughout their lives. However, that legacy came crashing down after the NCAA found that Paterno kept his friend and defensive coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, on despite he was a child predator and had sexually assaulted young men during Paterno's watch. The NCAA should have given them the "death penalty" because of this. JoePa was let go and unfortunately, passed away months later after the scandal was leaked. Despite all of this, Joe's widow, Sue, thought the university turned their backs on her late husband with all of the accomplishments he achieved during his tenure at PSU. Joe had a (bleep)ing predator on his staff for decades and knew about the terrible situations that Jerry Sandusky produced. So, in hindsight, his legacy is tarnished. Period. No debate.
Les Miles led LSU to a National Championship and was a made man. Then, LSU started losing and Miles was let go. While at Kansas, it was known that Miles tried to lure younger women to his place during his tenure with the Tigers. Also, the administration knew about it. Winning was more important than having a creep around as the head coach.
And finally, Bobby Knight. One of the greatest college basketball coaches of all-time, yet something was obvious. Bobby Knight is an a----le. Straight up, no BS here. He's a certificated a----le. I realize people will say, "A.J., he was just being tough on his players because he wants to win." Yes, there's a fine line between being tough on players and just being a jerk to people. Knight has exhibited bouts of anger issues throughout his illustrious career (The whole throwing a chair situation). Then, came the infamous video of Knight grabbing a player's throat. This is where Indiana probably said enough is enough and canned him. You can be a legend, but still be despised.
So, here are examples of coaches who hung their hats on prestige, yet decided to act up and thought no consequences would be levied. Alas, they were wrong.
For Bob Huggins, he needs to just walk away. What he is trying to do is pathetic at this point. I actually took the time to look at the Mountaineers record over the last five years. They were mediocre.
15-21, 4-14 Conf. in 2018-19
21-10, 9-9 Conf. in 2019-2020
19-10, 11-6 Conf. in 2020-2021
16-17, 4-14 Conf. in 2021-2022
19-15, 7-11 Conf. in 2022-2023
(Stats by Sports-Reference.com)
West Virginia had every right to "part ways" with Huggins due to this mediocre span, yet continued to have him around and even got to the point where they could have cut ties with him after the two instances where they should have cut ties with him. Bob Huggins actually thinks he has merit in trying to come back in a place that probably wants him to piss off.
Coaches are supposed to be teachers to the student, but it's hard when the teacher acts like a child.
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