Louisville head coach Bobby Petrino is settled back in the coaching game at his old stomping grounds, but Brent Musburger hasn’t forgotten about the incident that led to Petrino’s dismissal at Arkansas.
While calling the Clemson-Auburn game on ESPN Saturday night, Musburger made a not-so-subtle motorcycle reference when discussing the Cardinals. It was delivered exactly as you’d expect Musburger to deliver such a reference:
If you are unfamiliar with the reference to Petrino and his motorcycle, Musburger was referencing the motorcycle accident scandal that ultimately led to Petrino’s dismissal at Arkansas back in 2012.
Petrino crashed his motorcycle on Arkansas Highway 16 in April 2012. He was riding with Jessica Dorrell, a student-athlete development coordinator hired by Petrino. When asked about the accident, Petrino originally said he was riding alone. Before the official police report was released — which would have revealed Dorrell was a passenger on the bike — Petrino admitted to an adult relationship with Dorrell. Petrino was fired days later by the university and replaced by John L. Smith for the 2012 college football season (Arkansas then hired Brett Bielema away from Wisconsin in the coaching carousel later that year). It was learned Petrino provided cash to Dorrell as a Christmas present and was given preferential treatment in being hired to be a part of the football program.
Petrino took a year off from coaching to focus on repairing his family relationships and made a quick return to coaching at Western Kentucky for the 2013 season. After one year with the Hilltoppers, Louisville welcomed Petrino back to its program after losing Charlie Strong to Texas. Petrino had previously coached at Louisville from 2003 through 2006 before a miserable attempt to coach in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons.
Let this be a lesson that Brent Musburger never forgets and is never afraid to throw some shade with his signature charm. You could see the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face as he let that line out. This is why we need more Brent, and not have him stranded on the SEC Network.
[Photo Credit: The Mimeist]
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