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Bobby Petrino’s Pettiness Knows No Bounds

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Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino’s post-scrimmage press conference this past Saturday was rolling along quite nicely, right up until a radio host from Hog Sports Radio asked the Razorbacks coach a simple, innocuous question.

Then things got all petty…and monumentally stupid.

Petrino’s ire was directed at Renee Gork, the reporter in question, but not because of what she had asked.  No, Petrino wasn’t a big fan of Gork’s choice in headwear, a Florida Gators hat, and he let her know about it.

The coach answered Gork’s question thoroughly enough, then ended the exchange with, “And that will be the last question I answer with that hat on.”

Was Petrino joking?  Not bloody likely.

But it got worse for Gork, as she was fired from her job at Hog Sports Radio, all because of her Gators cap.

From her Twitter account…

“Was hoping to publicly apologize to coach Petrino and UA fans on the show today, but I won’t get that chance now … I’ve been fired.”

Now if you’re thinking that Gork’s decision to wear a Florida hat was a) a calculated show of disrespect or b) absolute stupidity, know this–Gork is a graduate of the University of Florida, and like many other people, quite proud of her alma mater.

Granted, considering the rivalry that exists between Arkansas and Florida, especially in the wake of last year’s controversial 23-20 Gators victory, maybe Gork should have left the hat at home, school pride be damned.  But to lose her job over something as trivial as this borders on the ridiculous.

Of course the Arkansas fans took to the Internet to voice their displeasure over Gork’s fashion faux pas, plastering her name and the story all over message boards.  Apparently the fans were so enraged they started an email and phone campaign to the station and it’s advertisers, which I’m sure led, in part anyway, to Gork’s eventual dismissal.

Well done Hog Nation…you should be proud.  Of what I have no idea.

Finally, unless the station has a strict dress code policy specifically banning the wearing of rival team’s clothing to Arkansas sponsored events, then there’s a good chance that Gork, providing she plays her cards right, will be inline for a healthy settlement via a lawsuit against her former employers.

(UPDATE) Video: Radio Personality’s Hat Choice Leads To Fan Complaints, Firing[Arkansas Sports 360]

 

About the author: Jeff G.

 

Jeff Greenwell is the writer/editor of Last Angry Fan. Jeff has been known to rock a Speedo while belting out Robert Goulet tunes from his front porch, and in his spare time he enjoys capturing and training feral goats to be his minions. Also known to dig a nice brick of cheese from time to time.

Website: http://lastangryfan.com

 

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  • Brenda

    I think he is a big jerk! I sure hope he feels great now!I never liked him but now I triple do notike him. If you are wondering, I am from AR and I am an Razorback but … I will not stand behind this jerk! Should she have worn the hat, no but he should have been more sporting. How is he supposed to show sportman ship to his players with his attitude? JERK… NEEDS TO BE REPRIMANDED BY U of A.

    • Markiedog

      Brenda, have you ever seen a Burger King employee eating at a McDonalds? Ever seen a Pepsi driver swigging down a Coke? No!
      Then why would you wear a rival hat to a job that requires you 100% concentration
      of a team.

      How do you think Nick Saban or Les Miles would have handled this? Petrino just pointed it out. He didn’t tell her to leave, he just brought it to her attention that it was not appropriate.

      I’m from Arkansas too. I worked for the flagship station for the Volunteers. I never once wore a Razorback shirt when I was representing the station. Had I done so, I would have probably been justifibly fired.

      She tweeted about hated covering the Hogs and not her beloved gators.
      Bobby had no hand in her dismissal.

  • Gary Hartwell

    She has no legal case. Her employer can fire her for any reason other than a legally prohibited form of discrimination. If nothing else, I would have fired her for stupidity. On top of that she was on facebook more or less publicly whining about having to cover Arkansas and not Florida. I have no dog in this fight, but as an owner of a business I wouldn’t keep an employee this dumb–eventually she’s going to cost me money by doing something stupid.

    • clyde calhoun

      ms.brenda with all due respect we were lucky to b invited to join the GREATEST conference in college sports, esp. in football. fball is not a game u can play at the level we need to play it, out manned and out gunned on any given sat. while conf brotherhood and respect is 1 thing, u better feel severe anomosity when lined up at kickoff Bobby P u the man

  • Tom Carnes

    Ridiculous story with obviously no research done to support it. No one asked for her dismissal it was done by her employer for other reasons. You are just another hack that doesn’t do any research before shooting your mouth off.

  • Patrick

    Perhaps you should do a little more research as to why Gork was fired. It was not just the hat. Instead it was a combination of things….Tweets and facebook posts complaing about her job, saying she wished she was covering Florida and not the Hogs. Violating practice rules by tweeting during practice. Also she claimed to of grabbed the hat because it was raining, but numerous people claim it was sunny and 101 degrees that day. Please do more research before posting these stories. Again terrible reporting by terrible journalists. GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT!!

  • http://lastangryfan.com JeffG

    Tom and Patrick,
    First off, I wrote this story before the stuff about her Twitter and Facebook accounts came out. I had one source for the story..that’s it. Secondly, I never said Petrino got her fired…I said he was petty for refusing to answer her questions because she was wearing a Gators hat. The only thing I alluded to as far as her getting fired was the outcry from Hog nation. Sorry, but Petrino’s reaction to a reporter in a Florida hat, in my opinion, is petty. Finally, yes I am a hack. I have never claimed to be a journalist, have never taken any kind of journalism course. This is a sports blog, not the Washington Post. I do thank you for your comments though, and hope you’ll continue visiting this site.

    Jeff

    • GuyR

      JeffG, I think you are wrong. I, too, am entitled to my opinion; if I were Petrino I would have told her not to come back to any press conference. News reports indicate Ms. Gork was terminated for other reasons not this one incident. She is welcome to leave “Razorback County” and return to Florida. However, any employer will probably think twice before hiring anyone that dumb!

  • hhhhhaaaaaawwwwggggsssss

    Petty is wearing that hat.I would have done what petrino did.Fire brenda someone and move her to florida.we are fans of arkansas just not residents……

 

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