Bobby Petrino on his parting with Arkansas: 'There never was any anger'

The split between Bobby Petrino and Arkansas back in 2012 is a well-known dispute that goes back a decade now. Still, after returning to Fayetteville to take over as the Razorbacks’ offensive coordinator, he wants it to be clear that he never had any resentment for the place or the program.

Petrino addressed that aspect of his return to Arkansas’ staff during his introductory press conference last week. He said he never harbored any ill will toward his former team and even maintained that he’d remained a fan of theirs over the last few years.

“There never was any anger at all,” said Petrino. “I was always a ‘Hogs fan.

“People would ask me, ‘Are you going to watch the game? Are you going to watch them play?’ I’d watch as many games as I could. I cheered for them and I rooted for them.”

Over four seasons as the program’s head coach, Petrino led Arkansas to 34-17 record. That included three campaigns with eight or more wins including the final two where the ‘Hogs posted double-digit wins with a win in the 2011 Cotton Bowl closing out that run.

Then, three months later, a motorcycle crash, which turned out to be much more of an incident in general, ended his first run with the Razorbacks.

Still, Petrino maintains that, over his next stops at Western Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri State, and Texas A&M, he remained an enthusiast for Arkansas. That’s likely why, when Sam Pittman wanted to offer him the job as their next offensive coordinator, he didn’t say no to a return.

Getting back together can often end up messier than either side could begin to imagine. However, Petrino and Arkansas appear to be back on the right foot as he rejoins the program under Pittman.

Pittman on Bobby Petrino’s past: ‘We all make a mistake’

Sam Pittman was more than willing to give out a second chance when it came to Bobby Petrino.

Pittman addressed the controversy around Petrino from his prior stint in Fayetteville during a press conference last week. As far vetting the hire, he left that up to the school and athletic department. He just wanted to hire the best man for the job and, in his opinion, that was Petrino – regardless of his past.

“That part of it? That’s up for Hunter (Yurachek) and those guys,” said Pittman. “I wanted to hire him. I know he’s a good man. We all make a mistake.”

“I wanted to hire him,” Pittman continued. “He was our best candidate, he’s a wonderful person. I was adamant that I wanted to hire him and he was adamant that he wanted to come. So the university went to work on all that kind of stuff.”

Albeit with some extra baggage, Petrino will look to do the same for Arkansas in 2024 as he did for Texas A&M in 2023. The ‘Hogs will need it too after their one season with Dan Enos didn’t go as planned.

Some may see this call as a bit of a risk, especially from a public relations standpoint. Still, after the approval from the school, Pittman is hoping the reconciliation of the program and one of their most well-known former head coaches works out for both sides in the end.