MORGANTOWN, West Virginia — Bob Huggins, who was arrested, charged with DUI and resigned as the head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers over the summer, is now in “good spirits”, according to his close friend and UMASS head coach Frank Martin.
Martin, who was an assistant coach under Huggins, spoke to The Field of 68 show and gave the first real update on Huggins since his arrest.
“He’s going to get back on that saddle. He’s clean. He hasn’t had a drink since that day. One day he’ll speak about exactly what transpired. It’s not my place to put that out there, but it’s more complicated than the story that got out by people that just saw the end result. And it’s sad. But he’s in great spirits. He’s lost weight, he’s energetic, he’s good for the game, he’s good for people, he’s in a great place right now. We have some guys that are doing some things that are really against the rules – not that what he did wasn’t against the rules – but that was self-inflicted. What all wanted him to get help and he’s got that. His help came from this unfortunate situation, but he’s in a great place health-wise, spirtually, you can just feel it over the phone. I’m bringing him back and he’s going to run practice for our team. The guys think I’m bad? Wait until they have Huggs running pratice!”
It’s unclear if Martin was serious about Huggins actually running practice, but what is clear is that Bob Huggins isn’t done with college basketball and will likely attempt a comeback in the very near future. Huggins, 70, recorded a blood alcohol level of .210 and empty beer cans were found inside trash bags in the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
Below is more on the incident, according to the police report.
“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.
They asked him to exit the vehicle to perform standard field sobriety tests, which he failed. The male was placed in custody without incident and transported for further testing.
Robert Huggins, 69 , of Morgantown, West Virginia was charged with Driving Under the Influence. He was released from custody and will appear for a preliminary hearing at a later date.”
The following month (July), Huggins released a statement, saying, “he has checked into a rehabilitation facility following a drunken driving arrest and disputes that he resigned at West Virginia while accusing the university of releasing a ‘false statement’ about him stepping down.” At that time, Huggins’ attorney stated that he intended to return as the head coach of the Mountaineers, but there has been no further public comment since then.
“Bob Huggins hasn’t had a drink since that day.” #WVU pic.twitter.com/9SaDp7VsV2
— The Voice of Morgantown (@voicemorgantown) October 17, 2023
