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Bob Huggins told his team Saturday night that he has resigned as West Virginia’s head men’s basketball coach after he was arrested and charged in Pittsburgh for driving under the influence on Friday night, sources tell FOX Sports.
The sources also confirmed that the school had received the resignation.
The coach released a statement Saturday night stating that he had submitted his resignation, taking responsibility for his actions and vowing to do better.
Huggins was arrested and charged with DUI on Friday night, according to a police report.
The report states:
“Just before 8:30 p.m., Pittsburgh Police from Zone 1 observed a black SUV on Merchant Street off of Ridge Avenue in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. The driver’s side door was open and the vehicle had a flat and shredded tire.
“Officers directed the male driver on how best to move off the road so they could help with the flat tire. When they observed him having difficulty maneuvering the SUV to allow vehicles to pass, they activated their lights to pull him over. Upon questioning, officers had strong suspicion to believe the male was intoxicated.”
According to The Associated Press, an officer observed garbage bags with empty beer containers both inside the vehicle and in the trunk. Huggins said he had been to a basketball camp with his brother in Sherrodsville, Ohio. An officer said Huggins was asked multiple times what city he was in but never got a response.
Huggins failed field sobriety tests, and the Hall of Fame head coach was then placed into custody. A breath test determined Huggins’ blood alcohol content was 0.21%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08% in Pennsylvania. A blood sample also was taken from Huggins at a hospital before his release.
Huggins will report for a preliminary hearing at a later date.
This incident marks the second major controversy for Huggins of the offseason. Just five weeks ago, he was suspended by West Virginia for making homophobic remarks aimed at Xavier fans in a guest appearance on a Cincinnati radio station. His salary was cut by $1 million and West Virginia amended his contract from a multi-year agreement to a year-by-year deal.
West Virginia University issued the following statement on Saturday morning:
“West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence in the City of Pittsburgh. We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete.”
This marks the second DUI for Huggins, who was convicted of the same offense in 2004 while he was the head coach at Cincinnati. It led to his resignation from the school.
Huggins, 69, is the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball with 935 career victories. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022. He is a graduate of West Virginia, having played point guard from 1975-77 after transferring from Ohio.
This development means another critical decision for West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker and university president E. Gordon Gee, who said five weeks ago when suspending Huggins and amending his contract that his comments were “inexcusable, hurt many people and tarnished West Virginia University.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter at @John_Fanta.
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