West Virginia Basketball Coach Bob Huggins Arrested In Pittsburgh For DUI – Update

Bruce Haring
·2 min read
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UPDATE: Naismith Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Huggins resigned Saturday night.

The 69-year-old Huggins said in a statement that his “recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role … I have let all of you — and myself — down.”

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He told his players at a team meeting on Saturday.

“I am solely responsible for my conduct and sincerely apologize to the University community — particularly to the student-athletes, coaches and staff in our program,” Huggins wrote in his statement. “I must do better, and I plan to spend the next few months focused on my health and my family so that I can be the person they deserve.”

EARLIER: West Virginia head basketball coach Bob Huggins — a top coach already on thin ice for his earlier use of homophobic slurs – was charged with driving under the influence Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh police report Huggins was driving a black SUV around 8:30 p.m. when officers observed his vehicle stopped in the middle of the road blocking traffic. The driver’s side door was open and the vehicle had a flat and shredded tire.

When questioned, officers reported they “had strong suspicion to believe the male was intoxicated.”

Huggins failed standard field sobriety tests and officers observed “empty beer cans in a white garbage bag of empty metal beer bottles. In the trunk of the vehicle was another white garbage bag of empty metal beer bottles.”

The breathalyzer test on Huggins came back with a .21. The legal limit in Pennsylvania is .08, meaning Huggins registered more than twice the legal limit.

A preliminary hearing on the matter was set for a later date.

“West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh. We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete,” the school said in a statement.

Huggins, age 69, was suspended by West Virginia for the first three games of the 2023-24 season after using a homophobic slur several time in a podcast interview. He also had his pay reduced for the 2023-24 season by $1 million and had his contract amended from a multi-year agreement to a year-by-year agreement. He was also mandated to undergo sensitivity training.

Huggins has compiled a 935-414 (.693) record in 41 seasons as a head coach, which includes stints at Walsh College (1980-83), Akron (1984-1989), Cincinnati (1989-2005), Kansas State (2006-07) and West Virginia (2007-present).

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