Bobby Petrino went from his first stint as head coach at Louisville to a job as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Suffice to say his career won’t have the same upward trajectory now that his second stint at Louisville has ended.
Louisville fired Petrino this morning after an ugly loss to Syracuse on Friday night dropped the Cardinals to 2-8 on the season.
It’s easy to see this being the end for Petrino as a head coach at any level, given the bridges he’s burned along the way. In addition to his sudden departure from the Falcons, in which he quit to take the Arkansas coaching job without so much as holding a team meeting to tell his players, Petrino has been criticized for the way he’s conducted himself in other stops. He lost the Arkansas job after crashing his motorcycle with his mistress on the back, in an incident that led to an investigation and findings of impropriety. He also drew criticism for secretly trying to leave Louisville for Auburn during his first stint at Louisville.
Petrino spent three years as an assistant with the Jaguars in addition to his year in Atlanta and his many years as a college coach, and he may have some job offers, although more likely as an assistant than as a head coach. He also won’t need to work: Under the terms of Petrino’s contract, Louisville is required to pay him more than $14 million to buy him out.
