West Virginia University head men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins was arrested and charged in Pittsburgh for driving under the influence 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.”
The report also states that Huggins failed field sobriety tests, and the Hall of Fame head coach was then placed into custody. He was later released and 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.”
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