VIDEO: Bobby Petrino Interview Includes Tears, Apologies, Promises

A portion of Joe Schad’s interview with fired coach Bobby Petrino aired Thursday morning on ESPN, with more set to come throughout the day. It’s the coach’s first public conversation since being ousted at Arkansas after it came out he lied about an affair with a person he hired. Petrino described himself as “very sorry” and displayed human emotion at points.

Also, Schad says Petrino has been in touch with the Tennessee Titans and Cal as he looks for a 2013 job.

“There is no excuse for having her in the interview pool, hiring her, having her on the back of the motorcycle,” he said of Jessica Dorrell, the 25-year-old employee in question. “When I look back on it, there is no good answer. All I know is that I wasn’t thinking and I wasn’t acting correctly.”

“I’ll be a better coach because this happened, because I’ll coach the person and not just the player,” Petrino said, explaining he’ll help his future players prepare to avoid mistakes and to deal with them. “I have a better understanding of what life is really about. Put your energy into people that love you and count on you.”

“Sitting down and telling Becky,” was the hardest part. “Looking at the look in her eyes, and how could I ever do something like this to hurt her. Anyone who’s ever hurt a loved one or lost a dream job can relate.”

“I’m working hard to save my marriage,” Petrino said. “I want to stay married. That’s been my main priority, making things right with my family.”

As for the public reaction to the softer, more vulnerable Petrino, so far it’s going over about as well as you’d think. We’ve seen this kind of thing before, and it’s gonna take... well, I don’t really know what it’s gonna take for him to fix his image. Him already talking about his next coaching job might not supply the quickest fix.

For more on Hogs football, visit Arkansas blog Arkansas Expats, plus SEC blog Team Speed Kills.