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According to a police post, public security sitePittsburgh police found Huggins blocking traffic in a black SUV just before 8:30 p.m. rice field.
Police instructed Mr. Huggins to remove the car from the road, but Mr. Huggins struggled to do so. He failed an on-site sobriety test and was arrested.
According to the criminal complaint, police found a white bag full of empty beer cans on the floor of Huggins’ car. Another white bag full of cans was found in the trunk. When police asked Mr. Huggins where he was, Mr. Huggins replied “Columbus,” which was taken by officers assuming he was in Ohio. Huggins scored 0.210 on the breathalyzer, almost three times the Pennsylvania legal blood alcohol limit of 0.08.
Huggins was later released from custody.
Background: Huggins was suspended in May
Last month, Mr. Huggins was disciplined for twice making homophobic slurs and mocking Catholics on a local Cincinnati radio show.
His contract was revised, adding $1 million to the $4.15 million annual salary. Huggins also had to undergo sensitivity training and was suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season.
and May 10 statementthe university’s president and athletic director, said Huggins’ conduct “unjustly and inappropriately hurt many people and tarnished West Virginia University.”
The statement added that any future derogatory or offensive language would result in “immediate termination” of Mr. Huggins.
“There is no excuse for the language I used and I take full responsibility,” Huggins said in a statement at the time. “I will abide by the actions outlined by my university and athletics leaders to learn from this incident. , I am acutely aware of the pain I have caused.”
Friday’s arrest was not Mr Huggins’ first encounter with the law. Huggins, who coached at the University of Cincinnati from 1989 to 2005, was charged with DUI in Ohio in 2004 and pleaded not guilty. The school suspended him indefinitely before allowing him to coach for the 2004-5 season. Huggins was acquired from Cincinnati in August 2005 for $3 million.
Why it matters: Huggins is a standout figure in the sport
Huggins, 69, won 863 games, the most of any active men’s Division I basketball coach. In 38 seasons as head coach in Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas and West Virginia, he led the team to 26 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two. He made the Final 4 and won the conference Coach of the Year award five times.
He ranks eighth on the all-time wins list, ahead of Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp and 14 short of tying Connecticut’s Jim Calhoun. But Huggins, who has the most wins among managers who have never broken the winning net, has failed to win a national title.
The university announced statement I thanked Huggins for his service on Saturday night.
“Coach Huggins was dedicated to his players, student organizations, fans and alumni, and all of West Virginia,” the statement read. “His contribution will always be part of our history.”
