5 coaches whose off-field transgressions cost them their job
Art Briles is the latest, but not the first, to lose his job because of his shortcomings off the field.
Here are five other coaches whose missteps away from the gridiron resulted in them being sent to the unemployment line in the recent past:
Steve Sarkisian
Nothing screams "out of control" like calling offensive plays in a state of intoxication. Yup, that's how the end of Steve Sarkisian's tenure at USC played out, after the coach was accused of repeatedly showing up to work drunk and taking his alleged addiction into games. USC sent Sarkisian home from a team practice in October after he showed up severely hungover, and the Trojans fired the embattled Sarkisian two days later.
Bobby Petrino
Bobby Petrino was seldom accused of being a class act, but his naughty behavior really caught up to him in April 2012. Petrino, then the head coach at Arkansas, was involved in a motorcycle accident in which he claimed to be the only person involved. However, the rest of the world soon discovered he was riding with his mistress, who he somehow managed to also put on the team's payroll and provide special gifts to. Petrino was eventually shown the door at Arkansas, and he now roams the sidelines at Louisville.
Joe Paterno
Joe Paterno was a living legend in Happy Valley, but the child sex scandal involving former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was the beginning of his end. Amid an enormous amount of controversy, outrage, and disbelief stemming from Paterno's alleged cover-up of the scandal at Penn State, Paterno agreed to retire after the 2012 season. It would have marked Paterno's 47th year as Penn State's head coach, but he never lived to see it. Paterno was abruptly fired in November 2011, and died two months later.
Jim Tressel
It isn't quite as bad as covering up rape cases, but Jim Tressel still chose to keep secrets. As the head coach at Ohio State, Tressel turned a blind eye to notices that his players were trading jerseys, autographs, and championship memorabilia in exchange for tattoos, a clear violation of NCAA rules. Tressel eventually stepped down as the Buckeyes' head coach in May 2011, around the same time a Sports Illustrated report confirmed that Tressel's players had been engaging in such acts since at least 2002.
Gary Barnett
The Buffaloes won three division titles in Gary Barnett's final four seasons at the helm of Colorado, but there's a reason he was fired in 2005 and has yet to coach since. In 2003, his fifth year at Colorado, Barnett was accused of using sexual activity and alcohol to bring recruits to Boulder. Barnett also landed in hot water when he dismissed an allegation from his female placekicker, who claimed she was raped by another member of the team. A heap of sexual misconduct allegations led to Barnett being pressured into resignation in December 2005.