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Bob Huggins, the West Virginia University men’s basketball coach who was briefly suspended and took a pay cut after using a homophobic slur during an interview, was arrested on Friday for driving while intoxicated.
Police said that Huggins, 69, was driving a black SUV in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Just before 8:30 p.m., Pittsburgh police saw the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. The driver’s side door was open and the vehicle had a “flat and shredded tire,” police said.
Pittsburgh police officers were able to direct Huggins off the road, but when they realized he was having trouble moving the vehicle he was pulled over and questioned. Standard field sobriety tests were performed, which Huggins failed. He was transported for further testing and charged with driving under the influence.
Huggins has since been released from custody. Police said he would appear at a preliminary hearing, but did not say when.
Officials from West Virginia University and its Department of Intercollegiate Athletics released a joint statement addressing the incident on Saturday morning.
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“West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh,” the statement read. “We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete.”
Earlier in the year, Huggins was disciplined by the university after using multiple slurs in a May 8 interview with Bill Cunningham, a Cincinnati radio host and former basketball coach. In a statement, West Virginia University called Huggins’ comments “insensitive, offensive” and said they “do not represent our university values.”
On May 10, the university said Huggins’ salary would be cut by $1 million, his contract would be a year-to-year one instead of a multi-year agreement, and that he would be suspended for three games, in addition to other penalties. The university also said it had been made “explicitly clear” to Huggins that similar language would result in his termination.
“I have no excuse for the language I used, and I take full responsibility,” Huggins said in an apology at the time. “I will abide with the actions outlined by the University and Athletics leadership to learn from this incident. I have had several conversations with colleagues and friends that I deeply respect and admire over the last 24 hours, and I am keenly aware of the pain that I have caused. I meant what I wrote on Monday – I will do better.”
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