Bob Huggins confirmed Monday that he has not resigned as West Virginia’s men’s basketball coach after he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence last month, contrary to a statement from the university, and that he expects to be reinstated after completing a volunteer coaching. Rehabilitation programme.
in statement On Monday, Huggins said the university’s June 17 announcement of his resignation was false, and that he “did not draft or revise WVU’s statement.” Huggins said he did not sign it and therefore never quit as per the employment agreement in his contract. A week after announcing his resignation, the school appointed a temporary replacement.
He said he was in a rehabilitation center where he planned to stay “until I’m allowed to return to my active coaching duties,” and apologized for “the mistake I made in Pittsburgh,” referring to his arrest. Huggins’ permit was first obtained by West Virginia MetroNews.
The statement came after David A. Campbell, Huggins’ Attorney, Letter to the President of the University. in the letter, First reported by West Virginia MetroNewsCampbell wrote that the university announced Huggins’ resignation based on an email sent by his wife, and that the email would not be considered a resignation in accordance with Huggins’ employment agreement. This requires a statement “in writing via registered or certified mail,” Campbell said.
In a subsequent letter from Campbell, Stephanie Taylor, the university’s attorney, expressed confusion about whether Campbell was saying Huggins never quit—and also about the status of Huggins’ legal representation.
In a letter obtained and reviewed by The New York Times, Taylor wrote that another attorney for Huggins, James Gianola, “indicated to the university that Mr. Huggins has decided to resign and retire” on June 17. She told Gianola she needed Huggins’ resignation in writing, according to Taylor.
Taylor said Gianola then asked the university if it would accept his resignation in the form of an email from his wife, John Huggins, since Bob Huggins did not use email and Gianola was “having IT issues”.
And in an email to The Times on Monday, a spokeswoman said the university had no response to Huggins’ statement beyond what it had already said. Gianola did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On June 24, the university announce Josh Eilert, who was on the West Virginia side for 16 seasons under Huggins, will serve as the interim coach for the 2023-24 season, after which the university will conduct a national search.
Huggins’ job was in jeopardy before his arrest. Huggins was suspended in May for using an anti-gay slur twice and for mocking Catholics during a live radio interview two days earlier. In response, the university cut his salary by $1 million from $4.15 million annually, required him to undergo sensitivity training and suspended him from the first three games of the 2023-24 season.
Huggins, 69, tallied 863 wins in 38 seasons as head coach at Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State and West Virginia, ranking eighth on the men’s Division I career wins list. Inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022, Huggins had the most wins among active coaches when West Virginia announced his departure.