Former West Virginia coach Bob Huggins is doubling down on his claim that he never technically resigned from the school, stating in a public letter on Monday that West Virginia University “did not handle the situation appropriately.” Huggins also wrote, “I have a strong desire to conclude my career” at WVU.
West Virginia’s general counsel responded with a definitive letter of rebuttal to Huggins’ lawyer.
It’s a continuation of a bizarre saga that bubbled up over the weekend, when a lawyer from Ohio who recently retained Huggins as a client sent a letter to WVU president E. Gordon Gee. The letter attempted to clarify Huggins’ employment status at WVU and requested he eventually be reinstated after undergoing rehabilitation counseling for alcohol abuse. There was threat of legal action otherwise, to which the school’s attorney responded that Huggins would not be re-hired.
It has made for a spectacle after a disastrous fall for Huggins, 69, who was the active Division I leader in wins at the time of his resignation. The Hall of Fame coach who spent 16 seasons coaching his alma mater is leaning on in the notion that he never technically resigned from his post after being arrested for drunk driving, with one of his tires destroyed, and registering a .210 blood alcohol level in Pittsburgh on June 16. Huggins and WVU split the next day.
On Monday, Huggins wrote this letter and publicized it via his new lawyer, David Campbell. In the letter, he claims WVU falsely published a resignation statement under his name on June 17.
“The press has now seen the letter sent by my counsel setting forth my position that I never resigned from my employment as Head Basketball Coach for West Virginia University. My attorney will address the legal issues relating to my purported resignation. I wanted to respond to WVU’s statements and set the record straight on the past two weeks.
“Initially, let me say that…
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