Arkansas has reportedly hired Bobby Petrino as its next offensive coordinator because irony is dead.
Per ESPN’s Chris Low, the Razorbacks have done the inexplicable and breathtakingly stupid by agreeing to bring back Petrino to run its offense.
This comes after more than a decade after Arkansas fired Petrino. Yes, remember this? The school fired the former head coach in 2012 for hiring the woman he was having an affair with and trying to hide the fact multiple times from Arkansas leadership.
If you’ll recall, a motorcycle accident involving Petrino and the woman in question led to one of the most infamous press conferences in college football history with a dinged-up Petrino wearing a neck brace and lying to reporters about the details around the crash.
Former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long excoriated Petrino at the time of his April 2012 firing, per a report from ESPN at the time:
“He made the decision, a conscious decision, to mislead the public on Tuesday, and in doing so negatively and adversely affected the reputation of the University of Arkansas and our football program,” Long said, choking up at one point as he discussed telling players that their coach was gone. “In short, coach Petrino engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior designed to deceive me and members of the athletic staff, both before and after the motorcycle accident.”
After an 11-2 season in 2011 that saw the Razorbacks play in the Cotton Bowl in Petrino’s last season, Arkansas fell into a 4-8 season under one-season coach John L. Smith. Petrino returned to the college coaching ranks with notable stops at Western Kentucky, Louisville and Missouri State.
Arkansas hasn’t been quite the same program after the embarrassment of the Petrino scandal. And now, he will take a prominent role once more with Razorbacks football after spending a season with Texas A&M as its offensive coordinator. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, etc.
College football fans were absolutely baffled to see Petrino return to the school that marks the biggest failure of his career (outside of that time he quit being the Atlanta Falcons coach midseason by leaving notes in the locker room announcing his departure).
Well, at least he’s got Ole Miss football coach Lane Kiffin on his side?
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) November 28, 2023
As for the rest of us…
Bobby Petrino’s first day back in Fayetteville… pic.twitter.com/fb0kgDX0ci
— Mark Nagi (@MarkNagi) November 28, 2023
sure, fine, why not https://t.co/iUQGzdIcBW
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) November 28, 2023
This is incredibly funny for so many reasons but to get real for a sec: Bobby will never coordinate an offense with as much talent as the one he had this year at A&M. Not at Arkansas anyway. You can never go home again, especially after you crash your motorcycle. https://t.co/tw7DjZx6pP
— Matt Scalici (@MattScalici) November 28, 2023
let’s ride https://t.co/AdsgUt5y5g pic.twitter.com/7PVXsPTsYA
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) November 28, 2023
Lol man. Y'all have fun with that. https://t.co/CRU2T0l1tl
— Mark Ennis (@MarkEnnis) November 28, 2023
https://t.co/LzyU8hz7bP pic.twitter.com/5TSM7ol8Sh
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) November 28, 2023
pic.twitter.com/S53MQNly4H https://t.co/EUTCgUXYG1
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 28, 2023
I can't believe we've come full circle from this moment https://t.co/1AK8o9ZCQv pic.twitter.com/kFPMeaA60m
— Nathanael Rutherford (@Mr_Rutherford) November 28, 2023
Life is a circle https://t.co/9d22XGRLVf
— Garrett Walker (@GarrettCWalker) November 28, 2023
This is an example of privilege and desperation. No way he should be back at Arkansas after the way he embarrassed the school. https://t.co/IBAEEHI3hs
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) November 28, 2023
https://t.co/RUxSfHxWOs pic.twitter.com/eGKpqUqV71
— Neutral Milk Tea Hotel (@james_art_do) November 28, 2023
Listen, I'm fully expecting this to be catastrophic and put the final nail in this football program's coffin…
But it'll be a fun ride until it all blows up 😂 https://t.co/3RZjjd6s53 pic.twitter.com/V4DGS1aVjJ
— Shane Walters (@Shane_Walters) November 28, 2023
I almost fell off my motorcycle when read this……😂😂😂 https://t.co/WylybbLcrZ
— Alan (@DerbyWill) November 28, 2023
https://t.co/10CIk2Q49N pic.twitter.com/2Cw7DFvRxG
— Daniel Ryan (@Nashtrill) November 28, 2023
I hope he leaves them after 13 games https://t.co/PDZvK4IrxH
— Neil Shelat (@NeilShelat6) November 28, 2023
https://t.co/P1Tr5Gx4FZ pic.twitter.com/X5VjvZc21I
— Will McNeeley (@WillMcNeeley) November 28, 2023
Arkansas has to be reeeeeaaallyyyy desperate to bring him back. https://t.co/Wk7XXhEMTZ
— Junnie Riddle (@JunnieRiddle) November 28, 2023
