The polite denials and politically correct answers have finally all been laid bare in the wake of Sam Pittman’s long-anticipated ouster as head football coach at the University of Arkansas. Pittman’s fate accompli makes way for Bobby Petrino’s often-denied reascension as first hand to Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek’s position as king of Razorback athletics, but no one should be fooled by the press conference held on Monday.
The game of thrones in today’s Southeastern Conference is not for the faint of heart where good guys and bad guys alike get fired. As Yurachek alluded to at the press conference, the handwriting on the wall for Pittman was written by a string of close losses over the course of his tenure as Yurachek’s right hand.