Greg Sankey addresses Bobby Petrino's return to Arkansas: 'There's history, but I consider that to be history'

Arkansas raised some eyebrows this week when it decided to bring Bobby Petrino back to Fayetteville as offensive coordinator. Of course, he’s familiar with the Razorbacks after serving as the head coach from 2008-11 before he was fired in light of the infamous motorcycle incident.

Now, 12 years later, Petrino is back at Arkansas as Sam Pittman’s offensive coordinator. He served in the same role last year under Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M, but the decision to head back to Arkansas surprised many.

But when SEC commissioner Greg Sankey was asked about the decision, he said whatever happened before is, quite simply, in the past.

“It’s interesting. Nobody asked me about him being back in the league when he was announced as the new offensive coordinator at Texas A&M last year, so he’s been back in the league,” Sankey said. “There’s history, but I consider that to be history.

“I had the opportunity to work with Bobby when he was the head coach at the University of Arkansas. Obviously, things changed. He’s been back for a year. By all accounts, did well in his work at Texas A&M, and I look forward to saying hello to him next time I’m in Fayetteville.”

Petrino’s tenure as Arkansas head coach ended with his firing after he was involved in a motorcycle accident with former Razorbacks volleyball player Jessica Dorrell. He hired Dorrell as a staffer in 2012, and it was later revealed the two had a relationship. Petrino initially said he was alone on the motorcycle, but a police report showed Dorrell was with him.

That led to his ouster. But the decision to bring him back ultimately ran through the president’s office, though, according to university policy. Because Petrino was fired during his last stint in Arkansas, the president would have to grant an exception. Of course, that wound up happening as the university announced his hiring on Wednesday and he attended the Razorbacks’ basketball game with Pittman.

Under Petrino’s watch, Texas A&M ranked eighth in the SEC in total offense and fifth in the league in scoring after the struggles under Fisher in 2022. But the Aggies still opted to make a change, firing Fisher late in the year and eventually bringing in Mike Elko to replace him.

That opened the door for Bobby Petrino to return to Arkansas and try to resurrect an offense that stalled in a big way in 2023 under Dan Enos. The Razorbacks ranked 13th in the conference in total offense and 11th in scoring with 26.6 points per game.