Bobby Petrino opens up on fans who think he does not deserve second chance at Arkansas

Former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino is back as the team’s offensive coordinator more than a decade after his last stint in Fayetteville ended in scandal and hospital beds — which has some fans hesitant to back the new OC hire.

Petrino is one of college football’s most divisive characters and would be a controversial hire at any program. But it’s hard to imagine a place his hire is more shocking than at his former home of Arkansas, where he was let go roughly 12 years ago amid fallout from a motorcycle crash that revealed he was having an adulterous affair with a former Razorback volleyball player who he had hired as a member of the football staff.

That was more than a decade ago, and time can heal all wounds, right? Maybe for some fans, but others are understandably cautious about the hire because of how things ended last time Petrino was a Hog. He knows that some folks will have that reaction, but Coach Petrino says everyone is allowed to have their own opinions.

“I’m kind of on the — not really sure what words to use on it — but my beliefs are that it’s OK for people to disagree, have different thoughts, different opinions,” Petrino said. “I grew up where this is the United States of America. Everybody can have their own thoughts, their own religion and you know what, that’s OK.”

Rather than focus on those who disagree with his hiring, Bobby Petrino will let bygones be bygones and allow people to hate on him if they want to, although the effort won’t be mutual.

“I think that’s just one of the greatest things about a football team. Guys come from everywhere. … I don’t have any ill feelings toward anybody that disagrees. I just wish it was that for everybody,” Petrino continued.

Petrino also remarked on how much the Arkansas campus has changed just since he was there a little over 10 years ago. But that’s how many college campuses are nowadays. You don’t visit for a decade and come back to find that everything has changed.

“I got a lot to learn. I can’t even find my way around. It’s changed. It’s really changed,” Petrino remarked of Fayetteville. “The roads are a little bit different. The way you get to places are a little bit different. … The first thing I’ve got to do is find out where I’m at.”

He just needs to find his way to the practice facility.