Aug 31, 2013; Nashville, TN, USA; Western Kentucky Hilltoppers head coach Bobby Petrino on the sidelines during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at LP Field. Western Kentucky won 35-26. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
The Louisville Cardinals stunned the college football world when they hired Bobby Petrino last week for a second stint with the Cardinals after his actions led to unceremonious exists with Louisville, the Atlanta Falcons and a disgraceful exit with the Arkansas Razorbacks after his affair came to light following a motorcycle accident.
While a number of Louisville fans supported this hiring, it came with a certain amount of risk that Petrino was a changed man and had learned from his past. His coaching acumen has never been in question as his 83-30 coaching record in college speaks for itself, but his character off-the-field is very much in question where he has a habit of flirting with other teams and jilting his former clubs.
On Monday’s Mike and Mike radio program on ESPN Radio, Petrino responded to questions on how he would answer a recruit’s question about if they can count on him to be at Louisville for the length of his contract.
“Any time you talk about recruiting, it’s about relationships,” Petrino said. “It’s not one phone call or one conversation. It’s about the overall relationship. I look forward to doing that with all our recruits, getting in the house, sitting down with them.
“They’re going to understand this is my last job. This is an opportunity to come back to a place where I started my head coaching career, a place that I get to finish it. Emotionally, I’m tied to doing that. Contractually, I’m tied to doing that, also.”
Petrino has a $10 million buyout and considering he isn’t exactly a hot commodity anymore the chances of anyone offering to buy out that contract is remote. At his introductory press conference, Petrino said leaving Louisville was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.
Now we will see if Petrino’s actions finally coincide with his words.
