He’s not an alcoholic, he’s an environmentalist.
That’s what the daughter of former West Virginia University basketball coach Bob Huggins is saying about her Hall of Fame father after Huggins was arrested for DUI over the weekend in Pittsburgh.
Huggins, who had been the head coach at his alma mater since 2007, resigned on Saturday night after details of the arrest became public – though it sounds like the “resignation” wasn’t entirely voluntary.
According to the police report, Huggins was spotted in an SUV leased by WVU with a blown tire and blocking traffic around 8:30 PM on Friday (just a few blocks away from the Taylor Swift concert at Acrisure Stadium). When police made contact with the coach, he didn’t know where he was and told the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania police that he was in Columbus, Ohio.
Huggins also presented officers with a Burger King receipt from earlier in the day to explain how he got to Pennsylvania, and police noticed that not only was there a garbage bag of empty beer cans in the passenger seat, but there was another bag full of empty beer bottles in the back of the car too.
But according to Huggins’ daughter, Jacque, her dad only had the bags of empty beer cans because he’s passionate about recycling.
Jacque released a lengthy statement in defense of her father, which has since been deleted from Instagram but remains posted to her Facebook.
In the post, the coach’s daughter rips WVU President Gordon Gee, telling him to “do better and be better.”
“To Gordon Gee & your board, be better and do better.
Throwing stones at glass houses is also not how to represent such a great University. Treating someone like they don’t matter after they have given their whole heart and soul to your University?
You could have helped, but chose to turn your backs. Not only on him, on the guys, the staff, the boosters. Everyone. You’re the classless ones, the cowards, the backstabbers and most of all hypocrites.
Remember the 24 million dollar practice facility, that was not in anyway funded by the University? The 17 million into your hospitals for cancer research?
I can only pray you never make another mistake like you have in the past to be crucified for. Cue Ohio State. Enrollment down 30%, mountains of debt, and too much more to list. Do your job that you were assigned to do and bring WVU back.”
Huggins also says that her dad offered to complete a 60-day stay in rehab in order to keep his job – but WVU declined.
“My dad is not an alcoholic, he drinks like 90% of us do and made a mistake that cost him his job, reputation and his livelihood. Which he didn’t deserve.
He told Gordon and his board that he would go to rehab for a 60 day stint to be able to stay for these guys. The guys who don’t want to play for anyone else. That’s how much he cares.
Refused. Not even considered. 100% no without a thought. Also given 30 MINUTES to decide if he was being fired or retiring.”
Then, Huggins goes on to defend the former coach by explaining the bags of empty beer cans:
“Next the “beer cans all over the car” the cans were in bags and not all beer cans, There is a small group in Morgantown who knows my dad collects cans to recycle. Always has, always will.”
So does Bob Huggins, multimillionaire basketball coach and NFL Hall of Famer, go around picking up cans on the side of the road? Was he in Pittsburgh to drop off his collection for recycling?
Jacque finishes by thanking Mountaineer Nation for their support over the years, while blasting the administration for the way they handled the situation:
“The lack of compassion shown in this situation absolutely disgusts me. The way it was handled disgusts me. If this is how they treat one of their own then how will they treat anyone else?”
Now, it’s worth pointing out that this isn’t the first time Bob Huggins has been let go from a job because of a DUI. He also resigned from the University of Cincinnati in 2005 under pressure from university administration after a DUI the previous year.
And it likely wasn’t the only factor in WVU’s decision to part ways with their coach: Huggins was already under fire for dropping a homophobic slur during a radio interview last month, and had been suspended for the first four games of the season while having his salary reduced by $1 million.
But hey, at least now he has more time to devote to his true passion, which is apparently recycling.
Here’s the full statement from Jacque Huggins:
“Now that we have had some time to process..I want to be the first one to say, i understand the severity of what took place.
I also fully understand how it potentially could have, and does affect so many lives. People are human and people make mistakes. We are all guilty of that in some capacity. Let’s spread love and healing and not hate to someone who bleeds Gold and Blue for all of you.
Mountaineer faithful, I just want to start out by saying what an unbelievable ride it’s been, thank you all for being the best fans in college basketball, and always packing the loudest house in the conference. I am forever grateful for your support of these teams and staff. They deserve it. I hope you continue to show this university what that looks like. The staff and this team are beyond deserving of your support.
To Gordon Gee & your board, be better and do better. Throwing stones at glass houses is also not how to represent such a great University.
Treating someone like they don’t matter after they have given their whole heart and soul to your University? You could have helped, but chose to turn your backs. Not only on him, on the guys, the staff, the boosters. Everyone.
You’re the classless ones, the cowards, the backstabbers and most of all hypocrites. Remember the 24 million dollar practice facility, that was not in anyway funded by the University? The 17 million into your hospitals for cancer research?
I can only pray you never make another mistake like you have in the past to be crucified for. Cue Ohio State. Enrollment down 30%, mountains of debt, and too much more to list. Do your job that you were assigned to do and bring WVU back.
Not that i need to touch anymore on what happened, but I’m going to. Because the people above don’t deserve the right to hide how it really happened and the kind of people they actually are.
My dad is not an alcoholic, he drinks like 90% of us do and made a mistake that cost him his job, reputation and his livelihood. Which he didn’t deserve.
He told Gordon and his board that he would go to rehab for a 60 day stint to be able to stay for these guys. The guys who don’t want to play for anyone else. That’s how much he cares. Refused. Not even considered. 100% no without a thought.
Also given 30 MINUTES to decide if he was being fired or retiring. But they want to preach this society of understanding and compassion. I’ve not passed the bar but I’m pretty sure there are some stiff laws against this.
Once a mountaineer, always a mountaineer, right? Next the “beer cans all over the car” the cans were in bags and not all beer cans, There is a small group in Morgantown who knows my dad collects cans to recycle. Always has, always will. That’s his thing.
To act like he was driving around pounding beers as the media wants to portray is absolutely absurd. The society in this world we are living in doesn’t always tell the truth. Media will tell you what they want you to believe or what they want you to know. That choice is of course yours to buy into or not, but just know it’s not always factual. It’s easy to judge a person from the outside looking in.
Again, I am fully aware of the mistakes made, but these mistakes shouldn’t overshadow all the good. This man would give the shirt off his back to anyone, he cares more about helping others than himself.
He so badly wants WV to be able to get the health care they deserve, and he always has wanted everyone to feel important and included. He’s raw, real and relatable, and would be the first person to have anyone’s back he cares about.
The most genuine, loyal man I’ve ever met. He wanted nothing more than to bring a National Championship back for the people of WV. And I will stand by him until the end, no matter what, because he deserves that.
Some of you may say I’m biased, but WVU will never find someone else who cares so much about the University, the guys, the state and the culture here. Truly a once in 1000 year coach. No one will ever change my mind on that.
The lack of compassion shown in this situation absolutely disgusts me. The way it was handled disgusts me. If this is how they treat one of their own then how will they treat anyone else?
Thank you everyone for the texts, calls and messages. I’m sorry if i didn’t get back to you, just know that it still means the world to me.
The support we have received has been unbelievable and will never be forgotten. I can’t imagine a life without basketball, probably because I’ve never lived that, but as they say when one door closes another opens. I don’t know what comes next, but thank you Morgantown for some of the best years of my life.
Selfishly i wasn’t ready for this to be over, but i will forever hold Morgantown and West Virginia University close, It is such a special place. I am so thankful for everyone who has been put into my life over the past 10 years. I will take this mountain town with me wherever i go. I love you all endlessly.
Let’s go Mountaineers”
