West Virginia responds to Bob Huggins' claim he didn't resign, calls it 'meritless'

West Virginia has responded to former head coach Bob Huggins‘ claims that he didn’t resign from his post as head of the men’s basketball program. The Mountaineers responded with a letter Monday, signed by West Virginia’s Vice President and General Counsel Stephanie D. Taylor.

In the letter, Taylor lists evidence that disputes Huggins claim he did not resign. She writes that the resignation came from Huggins’ wife’s email because Huggins doesn’t use email and that Huggins’ lawyer had asked prior to it being sent if that be an okay way to submit the resignation. West Virginia said it was.

West Virginia says Huggins’ lawyer texted before and after the email was sent to confirm that it was on its way and that it had been received.

“After reading your recent letter, I am still confused by your allegations,” West Virginia’s statement reads. “Are you asserting that Mr. Huggins never resigned? Is it your position that Mr. Gianola, the longstanding lawyer for Mr. Huggins, engaged with the University on June 17 without the knowledge or authorization of Mr. Huggins? And then Mr. Huggins’ wife submitted his resignation without his knowledge or authorization? Finally, that Mr. Huggins did nothing to rectify this situation for almost three weeks? Or, are you asserting that Mr. Huggins did resign, but his notification did not meet the technical requirements under the Employment Agreement? Are you suggesting that the only way Mr. Huggins could resign would be through registered or certified mail?”

“Either way, the facts prove these positions meritless. I would again encourage you to do appropriate due diligence before asserting a position that is clearly contrary to the documented evidence.”

West Virginia University responds to Bob Huggins: pic.twitter.com/c0lMWEbupb

— Ethan Bock (@ethanbock_) July 10, 2023

Bob Huggins statement claims he did not resign for West Virginia

In Bob Huggins’ statement released Monday, he claims he did not actually resign following his DUI arrest in June. It follows a letter over the weekend from his lawyer claiming the same thing and Huggins was preparing to sue.

“Due to my focus on the rehabilitation, I have not been in the media or responding to WVU’s statements regarding the incident,” Huggins said. “I now understand that WVU published a statement purportedly written by me at 10:30 p.m. on June 17, 2023. … I am employed by WVU pursuant to an Employment agreement. I never submitted the notice required under the Employment Agreement to voluntarily resign. I let WVU know that I was seeking rehabilitation. However, WVU was not willing to speak with me about the Pittsburgh event nor to provide me a time to obtain counsel to review my Employment Agreement.

“I met with my players on June 17, 2023 and let them know the truth — that I did not know what would happen to me, but that if I was not their coach, I was hoping that I would be replaced by a coach that I recommended to WVU. Most importantly, whether I was staying or not, I was encouraging the players to stay at WVU. My players come first and they needed to hear my support for WVU directly from me.

“Now that I have obtained counsel to review the Employment Agreement and have seen WVU’s comments about my current status, it is clear that WVU did not handle the situation appropriately. More importantly, the basketball program is in need and I have a strong desire to conclude my career as the Head Basketball Coach for the program that I love. I hope to meet with WVU in the near future to resolve this situation.”