Huggins is Back?

It seems like just the other day that University of Cincinnati head basketball coach Bob Huggins was stumbling out of his car and into our living rooms, teetering precariously back and forth after being stopped on suspicion of drunk driving. A few days after the traffic stop he pled no contest to the charges, and the university immediately stepped in with a suspension. At the press conference last month, Huggins was contrite. He appeared to brush away a few tears, even though no tears were visible. It was a nice touch.

The university officials also looked like they were doing the right thing. They spoke sternly. They talked about the need for healing and treatment and rest. They reminded us all that Huggins had suffered a heart attack only a year ago. And then they suspended him indefinitely, making it seem like they didn't know if he'd ever be ready to return to his post. It was widely reported in the press that he would likely be out until at least January.

But whenever you hear that a college coach or athlete has been suspended "indefinitely," it really means that the university will reinstate the offending individual just as soon as the public has moved on to the next scandal. On Thursday the University of Cincinnati decided that Huggins had suffered enough. Huggins will be back in his office on August 27, about five months earlier than expected. According to a statement, the university is "satisfied that coach Huggins has taken appropriate steps while under suspension and will, with continued effort, be ready to resume his position at the end of August." That's nice for Bob.

When he returns to his post on August 27, he will have spent seventy-six days on suspension. Two things to note about this. One, during those seventy-six days he would not have been allowed to coach anyway, since it isn't basketball season; and two, he was paid during the suspension. So what exactly was Huggins's punishment? A vacation. A paid vacation.

On the surface it appears that the university has damaged its reputation. But since the University of Cincinnati has a history of overlooking the transgressions and abyssmal graduation rates of its basketball players, perhaps they only solidified their already negative reputation. So I guess everyone wins.

Comments

[Mark J.]

I may be stating a ridiculous point of view, that has probably been set in policy, but what exactly is the tipping point with a coach that has the power of Huggins? Is it injuring or killing someone. The Larry Eustachy, Mike Price and numerous Bobby Knight episodes seem to pale in comparison to this.
We've discussed Huggins before. No punishment would have been harsh enough.

[Hank]

Mark -- the transgressions of the coaches you mentioned can probably be divided into three categories: illegal acts, idiotic acts, and "I think I'm untouchable" acts.

We'll start with the last, the domain of Bobby Knight. Everything he did screamed of his belief that he was bigger than not only the university but also everyone else he came into contact with. His actions often embarrassed the university (I'm assuming), but it wasn't until he slipped into the area where law suits might have come into play that they dismissed him.

Mike Price's strip club adventures fall into the idiotic category. He was even reported to have yelled out, "Roll Tide!" while bedding one of the strippers back in his motel room. Very stupid.

Larry Eustachy is another idiot. Whether you're an alcoholic or not, you'd think you'd have the sense not to go a college frat party and pose for pictures with co-eds.

What Huggins did was illegal and idiotic. On the surface it's probably the worst of all of these since he could've killed himself or someone else, but he's not that far ahead of Knight and Eustachy.

Indiana University has to take some of the blame for Knight's antics over the years, since they didn't do a whole lot to rein him in. And if Eustachy is getting drunk with college girls, is there anyone out there who doesn't believe he was propositioning them five minutes after those pictures were taken?

I guess I would've been surprized if Huggins had been fired, but I'm even more surprized by his watered down punishment.