Bob Huggins says he by no means resigned as West Virginia’s basketball coach following a drunken-driving arrest and is demanding to be reinstated, in response to a letter from his legal professional to the college.
Huggins’ Cleveland-based legal professional, David A. Campbell, wrote to the college Friday that Huggins ‘by no means signed a resignation letter and by no means communicated a resignation to anybody at WVU,’ in response to the letter, which was obtained by The Related Press on Saturday.
The letter threatens a lawsuit if Huggins, 69, would not get his job again. Huggins’ calls for have been first reported by West Virginia community MetroNews.
Huggins was charged with driving below the affect in Pittsburgh on June 16.
A breath check decided Huggins’ blood-alcohol content material was greater than twice the authorized restrict. His resignation was introduced by the college the next night time.
Bob Huggins says he by no means resigned as West Virginia’s basketball coach following DUI cost
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Every week later, assistant coach Josh Eilert was promoted to interim head coach for the 2023-24 season.
Campbell’s letter stated the college introduced Huggins’ resignation ‘based mostly on a textual content message from Coach Huggins’ spouse’ to Steve Uryasz, West Virginia’s deputy athletic director.
The college responded to Campbell in a letter Saturday that learn, partially: ‘We’re frankly confused by the allegations throughout the letter.’
WVU stated Huggins met together with his gamers and members of the basketball workers on June 17 ‘to announce that he would not be teaching the workforce.’
It stated Huggins ‘clearly’ communicated his resignation and retirement in writing and that ‘each events have fairly relied on that resignation and retirement notification in a variety of methods since then.’
The college supplied The AP with a duplicate of a discover despatched by Huggins’ spouse, June, that very same day. It learn: ‘Please settle for this correspondence as my formal discover of resignation as WVU Head Basketball Coach and as discover of my retirement from West Virginia College, efficient instantly.’
The discover was despatched from an electronic mail deal with related to June Huggins, with a signature indicating it was despatched by way of iPhone. It was despatched to Uryasz’s electronic mail deal with and didn’t seem like a textual content message, as Campbell claimed.
West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker responded an hour later by writing, ‘We settle for your resignation and need you one of the best in retirement. We respect your a few years of dedication to WVU.’
Assistant coach Josh Eilert was promoted to interim head coach for the 2023-24 season
Lower than an hour after that, the college launched two statements. One introduced Huggins’ resignation.
The opposite was titled ‘A Message from Bob Huggins to the WVU Group’ and commenced, ‘Right this moment, I’ve submitted a letter to President Gordon Gee and Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker informing them of my resignation and intention to retire as head males´s basketball coach at West Virginia College efficient instantly.’
The resignation was introduced a month after the college gave Huggins a three-game suspension for utilizing an anti-gay slur whereas additionally denigrating Catholics throughout a radio interview.
A number of of Huggins’ gamers have already entered the switch portal, and a few have discovered new groups.
Huggins was charged with driving below the affect in Pittsburgh on June 16
Campbell stated Huggins’ contract required the coach to ship a discover in writing by registered or licensed mail to the athletic director and college basic counsel.
Regardless of the specter of a lawsuit, Campbell’s letter stated Huggins ‘doesn’t need litigation. Fairly, he’s merely in search of the correction of a transparent breach of his employment settlement with WVU.’
Huggins was the third-winningest coach all-time in Division I with 935 victories, trailing solely Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (1,202) and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse (1,015), each of whom are retired.
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