Bob Huggins says he did not quit as West Virginia’s basketball coach after his drink-driving arrest and wants his job back, according to a letter from his attorney to the university.
Huggins’ Cleveland attorney, David A. Campbell, told the university on Friday that Huggins “never signed a letter of resignation nor sent a resignation letter to anyone at WVU,” according to the letter obtained by the Associated Press Saturday. .
The letter threatens a lawsuit if Huggins is not returned. Huggins’ demands were first reported by West Virginia’s MetroNews network.
Huggins was charged with drink driving in Pittsburgh on June 16. A breath test determined that Higgins’ blood alcohol content was more than double the legal limit. The university announced his resignation the following night. after a week, Assistant coach Josh Ellert has been promoted Interim coach for the 2023-24 season.
Campbell’s letter said the university announced Huggins’ resignation “based on a text message from Coach Huggins’ wife” to West Virginia deputy athletic director Steve Urias.
The university responded to Campbell in a letter on Saturday that said in part: “We are frankly confused by the allegations made in the letter.”
WVU said Huggins met with his players and members of the basketball team on June 17 to “announce that he will no longer coach the team.” It said Huggins had communicated his resignation and retirement in writing and that “both parties have reasonably relied on this notice of resignation and retirement in a number of ways since.”
The university provided the AP with a copy of a notice sent by Huggins’ wife, June, that same day. It reads: “Please accept this correspondence as my official notice of resignation as the head basketball coach at WVU and as notice of my retirement from West Virginia University, effective immediately.”
The notification was sent from an email address associated with June Huggins, with a signature indicating it was sent via an iPhone. It was sent to Uryasz’s email address and did not appear to be a text message, Campbell claimed.
West Virginia Athletic Director Warren Baker He responded an hour later by writing, “We accept your resignation and wish you the best in retirement. We appreciate your dedication for many years to WVU.”
Less than an hour later, the university issued two statements. Someone announced Huggins’ resignation.
The other was titled “A Letter from Bob Huggins to the WVU Community” and began, “Today, I have submitted a letter to President Gordon G and Vice President and Director of Athletics Ren Baker informing them of my resignation and my intention to retire as the head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University effective immediately.”
The resignation was announced a month later The university gave Huggins a three-game suspension for using homophobic insults while denigrating Catholics during a radio interview.
Many Huggins players have already entered the transfer portal, and some have found new teams.
Huggins’ contract, Campbell said, requires the coach to send written notice by registered or certified mail to the athletic director and general counsel of the university.
Despite the threat of a lawsuit, Campbell’s letter said Huggins “does not desire litigation. Instead, he is simply looking to remedy a clear breach of his employment agreement with WVU.”
The 69-year-old Huggins is the third-best coach all-time in Division I with 935 victories, behind only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (1,202) and Jim Boehme of Syracuse (1,015), both of whom are retired.
Unlike the others, Huggins has never won a national title. He led Cincinnati to the Final Four in 1992 and West Virginia in 2010. Huggins was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame this past September. In 41 seasons, his team has gone to 25 NCAA Tournaments and finished in the Top 10 seven times. The Mountaineers have made 11 NCAA Tournament appearances under Huggins.
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