Petrino resigns, plans to coach Arkansas
Bobby Petrino resigned as Atlanta Falcons coach on Tuesday, having lasted only 13 games with the NFL team. A person within the league told The Associated Press that Petrino quit to return to the college ranks at Arkansas.
He had only left Louisville in January, agreeing to become Falcons coach for a five-year, $24 million contract handed out by a team that felt he could help star quarterback Michael Vick reach his full potential.
A few months later, Vick came under investigation for a grisly dogfighting operation that eventually led him to plead guilty to federal charges. He was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison without ever taking a snap for Petrino.
A source familiar with Patrino's decision, speaking on condition of anonymity because the school had not made an official announcement, said he was going to Arkansas. The Razorbacks have been looking for a coach for two weeks to replace Houston Nutt, who resigned after a tumultuous season and took the Mississippi job.
The school had no immediate comment on its coaching search, but called a news conference for today for a "major announcement."
The Falcons declined further comment beyond a terse, two-paragraph statement released Tuesday night. Owner Arthur Blank and general manager Rich McKay were scheduled to hold a news conference today.
There was no immediate word who would take over as head coach for the final three games, though defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson would be the most logical candidates.
Petrino's stint was one of the shortest for a non-interim coach since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Pete McCulley was fired after starting out 1-8 with San Francisco in 1978, and Sid Gillman lasted only 10 games in his second stint as San Diego coach, going 4-6 in 1971 before quitting.
In an interesting twist, Lou Holtz coached the New York Jets for 13 games in 1976. He went 3-10, then left the team with one game remaining to become Arkansas' coach.
Extra points: The NFL has awarded a $113,000 grant to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, which played a role in Bills tight end Kevin Everett's recovery from a serious spinal cord injury. The NFL steadily funded the University of Miami-based center from 1986 to 2003 before cutting off funding altogether about two years ago. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said grant approval came at the league's charity board meeting in October. … Tampa Bay reserve tight end Jerramy Stevens was suspended without pay for one game for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Stevens was convicted in September of driving under the influence of alcohol in Scottsdale, Ariz.