WVU Release Message from Bob Huggins

[Keenan Cummings]

MESSAGE FROM BOB HUGGINS TO THE WVU COMMUNITY

Mountaineer Nation:

Today, I have 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 men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University effective immediately.

My recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role. While I have always tried to represent our University with honor, I have let all of you – and myself – down. 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. 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.

It has been the honor of my professional career to lead the men’s basketball program at my alma mater and I take great pride in our accomplishments. But I am most proud of the tremendous young men who chose to spend their formative years with us, and who have gone on to do great things with their lives.

I was born in Morgantown, graduated from West Virginia University and had the pleasure of coaching here for seventeen seasons as an assistant or head coach. It will always be my home, and I will always be a Mountaineer.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our program over the years. It has meant more to me and my family than you could ever know.

Sincerely,

Bob Huggins

 

[MountaineerWV]

Damn. Didn't see it ending like this.

 

[Mike WVU]

MESSAGE FROM BOB HUGGINS TO THE WVU COMMUNITY

Mountaineer Nation:

Today, I have 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 men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University effective immediately.

My recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role. While I have always tried to represent our University with honor, I have let all of you – and myself – down. 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. 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.

It has been the honor of my professional career to lead the men’s basketball program at my alma mater and I take great pride in our accomplishments. But I am most proud of the tremendous young men who chose to spend their formative years with us, and who have gone on to do great things with their lives.

I was born in Morgantown, graduated from West Virginia University and had the pleasure of coaching here for seventeen seasons as an assistant or head coach. It will always be my home, and I will always be a Mountaineer.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our program over the years. It has meant more to me and my family than you could ever know.

Sincerely,

Bob Huggins

 

[WVUALLEN]

Damn. Didn't see it ending like this.

Let's hope this puts him on the path to get his shit together. Seek help and go to AA meetings.

 

[MountaineerWV]

Let's hope this puts him on the path to get his shit together. Seek help and go to AA meetings.

Sadly, not likely to happen. I predict he will take a year off and be back on the sideline somewhere in 2024-25 year.

 

[Panhandleer]

Let's hope this puts him on the path to get his shit together. Seek help and go to AA meetings.

 

[Panhandleer]

As I stated earlier, I thought they would give him a way out. Hate to see it, and hope he gets things straight in his life.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Sadly, not likely to happen. I predict he will take a year off and be back on the sideline somewhere in 2024-25 year.

I don't see it and he would be turning 71.

 

[deedoubleyou]

As I stated earlier, I thought they would give him a way out. Hate to see it, and hope he gets things straight in his life.

I kind of suspected they might too. He is in fact one of our own, and it doesnt really reflect well on WVU long term for this to be the way his legacy ends.

 

[xWVU2010x]

Downright depressing to read this. Guy was a legend and now stripped down to this. Everything I knew during my time at WVU is now gone.

 

[SKYHAWKBALL]

Downright depressing to read this. Guy was a legend and now stripped down to this. Everything I knew during my time at WVU is now gone.

It’s sad. I’m in the same boat.

 

[WESTBGVA]

hey...this may have been his last season anyway.... thankfully no one was injured or killed
he and his family will be fine financially.
Huggins raised millions for cancer research
get Andy Kennedy on the bat phone

 

[MountaineerWV]

It’s sad. I’m in the same boat.

You've been wanting to chase Huggins out of town for years now. Stop lying.

 

[SKYHAWKBALL]

You've been wanting to chase Huggins out of town for years now. Stop lying.

But he didn’t have to go out like this. That’s what makes it bitter to me.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Downright depressing to read this. Guy was a legend and now stripped down to this. Everything I knew during my time at WVU is now gone.

Only has himself to blame. You can tell them a 1,000 times but ultimately it's up to them to admit they have a problem. Alcoholics are always the last to know how bad it is.

 

[WVUALLEN]

I kind of suspected they might too. He is in fact one of our own, and it doesnt really reflect well on WVU long term for this to be the way his legacy ends.

I'm sure Cincinnati thought the same thing. They've turned out just fine.

 

[MountaineerWV]

But he didn’t have to go out like this. That’s what makes it bitter to me.

So you are saying you would have gotten satisfaction out of him having a bad season and getting fired. Ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

 

[SKYHAWKBALL]

So you are saying you would have gotten satisfaction out of him having a bad season and getting fired. Ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

I think he should have been fired for underachieving. But this was his last year no matter what. Now, he doesn’t get to see it.

 

[MountaineerWV]

I think he should have been fired for underachieving. But this was his last year no matter what. Now, he doesn’t get to see it.

"Underachieving".

 

[xWVU2010x]

I'm sure Cincinnati thought the same thing. They've turned out just fine.

Cincinnati went 5 seasons without an NCAAT following Huggins.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Cincinnati went 5 seasons without an NCAAT following Huggins.

Cincinnati had only 2 losing seasons after Huggins was fired.

What's your point?

 

[xWVU2010x]

Cincinnati had only 2 losing seasons after Huggins was fired.

What's your point?

Both in the immediate aftermath of Huggins getting fired. Unless by some miracle the transfer class stays, we are looking at some lean years. “Losing seasons” is also not a great barometer of success/failure. This is a sport where basically every power conference team can schedule their way to something like a 10-3 record in non conference play, and 13-0 if they wanna go full on cupcake. The barometer of success are NCAA bids, conference standings/record, NCAA performance.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Both in the immediate aftermath of Huggins getting fired. Unless by some miracle the transfer class stays, we are looking at some lean years. “Losing seasons” is also not a great barometer of success/failure. This is a sport where basically every power conference team can schedule their way to something like a 10-3 record in non conference play, and 13-0 if they wanna go full on cupcake. The barometer of success are NCAA bids, conference standings/record, NCAA performance.

Different times now. A coach good at NIL misuse can build a great team in 1 year.

 

[skygusty]

Sad ending for a coach wo used to tell his players that when they put on that jersey, they were representing the whole state of West Virginia. I hope he gets his life sorted out. I feel like somebody I respected just threw up on my shoes.

 

[MountaineerWV]

Sad ending for a coach wo used to tell his players that when they put on that jersey, they were representing the whole state of West Virginia. I hope he gets his life sorted out. I feel like somebody I respected just threw up on my shoes.

I have the same feelings as you stated. I love Huggins. I loved his message about putting "fans and team first" above anything else. But he didn't follow that message, as it showed itself so. His demons have tarnished his legacy forever.

 

[oceantide83]

Let's hope this puts him on the path to get his shit together. Seek help and go to AA meetings.

He's had plenty of opportunities to do that since his first DUI over a decade ago. Seems he's not one to learn from his mistakes.

 

[deedoubleyou]

He's had plenty of opportunities to do that since his first DUI over a decade ago. Seems he's not one to learn from his mistakes.

Alcoholics are usually slow learners. A lot of them never get it together unless something bad happens. For Huggins sake, I hope this is his something.

 

[WVUALLEN]

He's had plenty of opportunities to do that since his first DUI over a decade ago. Seems he's not one to learn from his mistakes.

You actually know nothing about alcoholism. They will never seek help until they admit there is a problem.

 

[The Bell Tolls for Thee]

You actually know nothing about alcoholism. They will never seek help until they admit there is a problem.

Alcohol, like any addiction, is primarily mental. The human body is resilient. On a cellular and physiological level, withdrawal and resolution of dependence happens over a span of days to 1-2 weeks depending on the substance. As anyone who has been addicted to anything can tell you, it actually never goes away and that is because of the mental and psychological addiction. That is why someone who is say cigarette free for 2-3 years can be pulled right back into smoking. It is why no one can ever be cured of an addiction, but rather be in treatment or remission. It is also why anyone who thinks a week, month, or 60 days of rehab alone is all they have to do is embarking on a fool's errand.

For alcohol specifically most alcoholics start by being "functional" alcoholics. They need alcohol and do not feel themselves going a prolonged period without alcohol, but they still have a job and appear relatively normal. They tend to drink more and more often while incrementally taking steps to compensate. It's usually when that compensation breaks down or a respected friend/family member calls the spade a spade that the alcoholic might accept this truth.

Unfortunately most do not. Most will start to lose small things. Here again some may see the truth of the problem, but many will rationalize the cause as being anything other than themselves with their relationship to alcohol.

Eventually a big loss occurs like losing a job, an arrest, severance of relationships, etc... occurs. Here is where the alcoholic is most likely to try and get help. But again many will think, like a dieting person, that it is just temporary work that after a certain period of time will reset themselves rather than the start of training to win a daily struggle.

Alcohol is a potent addiction as those that get to this point in the road may still go further. There are homeless alcoholics. Alcoholics with rotting limbs. Alcoholics who have been saved more than once from hepatic encephalopathy, delirium tremens, or massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage who still refuse to even try to stop drinking.

The one thing that is unfortunately true is, no alcoholic can be forced to get help. As of now, forced rehab has proven to be a failure and waste of everyone's time. This is even true of those that go voluntarily but are only doing so to avoid a negative consequence such as jail time or loss of a job. No one else can want it for them enough to make damn bit of difference.

 

[steeleer]

You actually know nothing about alcoholism. They will never seek help until they admit there is a problem.

Close. They won’t admit it until they hit rock bottom. Then they admit there is a problem, etc.

 

[deedoubleyou]

Huggins was willing to check himself into 60 days of rehab to keep the team together. Those players didnt come here to play at WVU they came to play for Huggins. He obviously cares a lot about them and WVU to be willing to stop drinking for 60 days. That is a lot for an alcoholic.

Gee made yet another really horrible business decision related to WVU sports. This is a man who should not have his job at all after seeing what WVU athletics have become under his watch. Not too mention general attendance is down on his watch. Neal Brown is shown more loyalty than Bob Huggins for setting back the football program and losing millions and millions of dollars in ticket sales. Huggins raises millions of dollars and built a practice facility by fundraising mostly on his own. Brown made football boring and uninteresting mostly on his own. Bob Huggins is the only thing hall of fame worthy WVU will probably ever have in modern times.


So now Huggins is gone and it seems like we are trying to replace him with one of his disciples. That is not moving on from Huggs lol. That mentality is a slap in the face and when Andy Kennedy is coaching WVU to a 6-7th place finish year after year, Huggins going to rehab to stay with the team will be wishful thinking in hindsight.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Huggins was willing to check himself into 60 days of rehab to keep the team together. Those players didnt come here to play at WVU they came to play for Huggins. He obviously cares a lot about them and WVU to be willing to stop drinking for 60 days. That is a lot for an alcoholic.

Gee made yet another really horrible business decision related to WVU sports. This is a man who should not have his job at all after seeing what WVU athletics have become under his watch. Not too mention general attendance is down on his watch. Neal Brown is shown more loyalty than Bob Huggins for setting back the football program and losing millions and millions of dollars in ticket sales. Huggins raises millions of dollars and built a practice facility by fundraising mostly on his own. Brown made football boring and uninteresting mostly on his own. Bob Huggins is the only thing hall of fame worthy WVU will probably ever have in modern times.


So now Huggins is gone and it seems like we are trying to replace him with one of his disciples. That is not moving on from Huggs lol. That mentality is a slap in the face and when Andy Kennedy is coaching WVU to a 6-7th place finish year after year, Huggins going to rehab to stay with the team will be wishful thinking in hindsight.

Huggins daughter also said her father wasn't an alcoholic. So why does he need rehab.

Had the incident six weeks ago never happened, perhaps things would have been different. But a DUI less than two months after being suspended for a separate controversy left only one pathway forward.

His contract was rewritten for 1 million less and strict stipulations to stay clear of trouble. I guarantee Huggins was retiring at the end of the year.

 

[WVUALLEN]

Alcohol, like any addiction, is primarily mental. The human body is resilient. On a cellular and physiological level, withdrawal and resolution of dependence happens over a span of days to 1-2 weeks depending on the substance. As anyone who has been addicted to anything can tell you, it actually never goes away and that is because of the mental and psychological addiction. That is why someone who is say cigarette free for 2-3 years can be pulled right back into smoking. It is why no one can ever be cured of an addiction, but rather be in treatment or remission. It is also why anyone who thinks a week, month, or 60 days of rehab alone is all they have to do is embarking on a fool's errand.

For alcohol specifically most alcoholics start by being "functional" alcoholics. They need alcohol and do not feel themselves going a prolonged period without alcohol, but they still have a job and appear relatively normal. They tend to drink more and more often while incrementally taking steps to compensate. It's usually when that compensation breaks down or a respected friend/family member calls the spade a spade that the alcoholic might accept this truth.

Unfortunately most do not. Most will start to lose small things. Here again some may see the truth of the problem, but many will rationalize the cause as being anything other than themselves with their relationship to alcohol.

Eventually a big loss occurs like losing a job, an arrest, severance of relationships, etc... occurs. Here is where the alcoholic is most likely to try and get help. But again many will think, like a dieting person, that it is just temporary work that after a certain period of time will reset themselves rather than the start of training to win a daily struggle.

Alcohol is a potent addiction as those that get to this point in the road may still go further. There are homeless alcoholics. Alcoholics with rotting limbs. Alcoholics who have been saved more than once from hepatic encephalopathy, delirium tremens, or massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage who still refuse to even try to stop drinking.

The one thing that is unfortunately true is, no alcoholic can be forced to get help. As of now, forced rehab has proven to be a failure and waste of everyone's time. This is even true of those that go voluntarily but are only doing so to avoid a negative consequence such as jail time or loss of a job. No one else can want it for them enough to make damn bit of difference.

All true statements Bell

Stages of the Addiction Cycle​

Addiction can be framed as a repeating cycle, with three stages. Each stage is linked to and feeds on the others. These stages primarily involve three domains: incentive salience, negative emotional states, and executive function. The domains are reflected in three key regions of the brain: the basal ganglia, the extended amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex, respectively. A person may go through this three-stage cycle over the course of weeks or months, or progress through it several times in a day.3,4,5 Note also that a person can enter the cycle of addiction at any one of the following stages:


1. Binge/Intoxication Stage: reward, incentive salience, and pathological habits

• During this stage, a person experiences the rewarding effects of alcohol, such as euphoria, the reduction of anxiety, and the easing of social interactions.
• Repeated activation of the basal ganglia’s reward system reinforces alcohol drinking behavior, increasing the likelihood of repeated consumption. The basal ganglia play an important role in motivation as well as in the formation of habits and other routine behaviors.
• This repeated activation of the basal ganglia also ultimately triggers changes in the way a person responds to stimuli associated with drinking alcohol, such as specific people, places, or alcohol-associated cues such as certain glassware or images or descriptions of drinking. Over time, these stimuli can trigger powerful urges to drink alcohol.
• Repeated alcohol consumption also results in changes in the basal ganglia that lead to habit formation, ultimately contributing to compulsive use.

2. Negative Affect/Withdrawal Stage: reward deficits and stress surfeit

• When a person who is addicted to alcohol stops drinking, they experience withdrawal symptoms—or symptoms that are opposite to the positive effects of alcohol that are experienced when drinking it. These symptoms can be physical (sleep disturbances, pain, feelings of illness) and emotional (dysphoria, irritability, anxiety, and emotional pain).
• The negative feelings associated with alcohol withdrawal are thought to come from two sources. First, a diminished activation in the reward systems—or a reward deficit—of the basal ganglia makes it difficult for people to experience the pleasures of everyday living. Second, an increased activation of the brain’s stress systems—or a stress surfeit—in the extended amygdala contributes to anxiety, irritability, and unease.
• At this stage, the person no longer drinks alcohol for the pleasurable effects (“high”), but rather to escape the “low” feelings to which chronic alcohol misuse has contributed.

3. Preoccupation/Anticipation Stage: craving, impulsivity, and executive function

• This is the stage at which an individual seeks alcohol again after a period of abstinence. A person becomes preoccupied with alcohol and how to get more of it, and looks forward to the next time he or she will consume it.
• The prefrontal cortex—an area of the brain responsible for executive function, including the ability to organize thoughts and activities, prioritize tasks, manage time, and make decisions—is compromised in people experiencing alcohol addiction. As a result, this area of the brain plays a key role in this stage.

The Cycle of Alcohol Addiction | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

Alcohol addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder associated with compulsive alcohol drinking, the loss of control over intake, and the emergence of a negative emotional state when alcohol is no longer available. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a condition characterized by an impaired ability to...

www.niaaa.nih.gov

 

[MountaineerWV]

Huggs is an alcoholic. Pretty easy to see the signs. Everyone close to him, family, friends, and his employer (WVU) failed him by not forcing him to seek help. I'm sure many thought "well that'll never happen to him" kept crossing their thoughts. I love Huggins. I wish he would have coached another 10 years. But he is not well, and sadly it may be past the point of help for his physical health now. I wish him the best and hope he gets the help he needs and hopefully one day finds himself BACK to WVU in some sort of fashion.

 

[deedoubleyou]

Huggins daughter also said her father wasn't an alcoholic. So why does he need rehab.

Had the incident six weeks ago never happened, perhaps things would have been different. But a DUI less than two months after being suspended for a separate controversy left only one pathway forward.

His contract was rewritten for 1 million less and strict stipulations to stay clear of trouble. I guarantee Huggins was retiring at the end of the year.

I am not concerned with his daughter saying that. She loves him, of course she doesnt want to believe that about him..... but I do believe he is an alcoholic an its just my opinion but its what I think until proven otherwise.

The only thing I am concerned with is that Bob Huggins offered to check himself into 60 days of rehab just to keep his excellent NIL transfer team together and end his career on a positive note at the school he loves. I dont doubt that he was going to retire after this season either, which is just one more reason I think Gordon Gee is an idiot who is making another huge gaping mistake, that will cost WVU millions and set another program back. All of these things are precisely why he should be able to finish his career here. Its not only good for the student athletes, the school and fans, but it is good for Huggins too, and pretty much everyone involved. For a drunk to clean up because of his love of the game? Sounds like a potential amazing story..... that sadly will never come to fruition because Gordo FagGee wants to leave his pathetic mark on the program instead of someone who is worthy of it like Huggs. Fk Gee. The school has become a joke since hee took over. It just gets worse every year.

On a side note if I were Wren Baker my resignation letter would be on Gee's desk today.

 

[MountaineerWV]

On a side note if I were Wren Baker my resignation letter would be on Gee's desk today.

So, you are saying that schools should only pay MILLIONS to athletic directors to perform easy tasks and situations? Cool. Not at all a waste.

 

[deedoubleyou]

So, you are saying that schools should only pay MILLIONS to athletic directors to perform easy tasks and situations? Cool. Not at all a waste.

I dont think Baker has been given a fair shot by taking over at WVU with such a fool acting as school president. Who would want to work under Gee? This program is a mess, and as far as we know, Gordon Gee is making the coaching decisions, not Wren Baker. I think the real issue is more like they pay him a bunch of money for them to make the decisions lol.

 

[deedoubleyou]

I mean why not.....

Sign the Petition

Bring Back Coach Huggins to WVU Basketball

www.change.org

 

[The Bell Tolls for Thee]

Huggs is an alcoholic. Pretty easy to see the signs. Everyone close to him, family, friends, and his employer (WVU) failed him by not forcing him to seek help. I'm sure many thought "well that'll never happen to him" kept crossing their thoughts. I love Huggins. I wish he would have coached another 10 years. But he is not well, and sadly it may be past the point of help for his physical health now. I wish him the best and hope he gets the help he needs and hopefully one day finds himself BACK to WVU in some sort of fashion.

They only failed him if they didn't suggest he get help. The unfortunate truth is that no addict can be forced into anything. Forcing people into rehab or those voluntarily going only to avoid a consequence such as jail fail EVERY time. The harsh truth that is so hard for family and friends is you cannot want it for them. Nor should you let their behavior torpedo your life/career if they are unwilling to change. Sometimes all you can do is sever ties and hope that is enough of a kick in the pants to motivate them. But if it is not, it is still not your fault that they chose the self destructive path. Too many family and friends feel unearned guilt because they think they abandoned them when all they did was stop enabling and allowing another's addiction to poison their lives. It's like saving a drowning person. You can offer assistance, but if they refuse to even try to swim with you, you either both will slowly drown or you have to pit yourself at a safe distance until they are ready to try.

 

[MountaineerWV]

I dont think Baker has been given a fair shot by taking over at WVU with such a fool acting as school president. Who would want to work under Gee? This program is a mess, and as far as we know, Gordon Gee is making the coaching decisions, not Wren Baker. I think the real issue is more like they pay him a bunch of money for them to make the decisions lol.

You are sadly mistaken if you don’t think EVERY college president has the final say or active in major coaching changes. That is their JOB. The athletic directors do run athletics, but not without approval from the president. That’s how things work.