Remember when I informed you that Bub Huggins submitted a resignation letter to West Virginia after his DUI arrest in June? Well, now Huggins is demanding reinstatement because he’s claiming that he didn’t formally resign from the University last month. That’s right, according to Huggins’ attorney, David A. Campbell, “Huggins’ resignation correspondence with the school did not come from him but from his wife, June Huggins.” Campbell also added that “Based on press statements, it appears that WVU is taking the position that Coach Huggins voluntarily resigned and terminated the Employment Agreement in advance of April 30, 2024. However, although the press statements purport to have resignation communications directly from Coach Huggins to you and/or the Athletic Director, Coach Huggins has never communicated his resignation to you, the Athletic Director, or anyone at WVU. To the contrary, we understand that the purported ‘resignation’ is incredibly based on a text message from Coach Huggins’ wife.”
Apparently, Huggins (who is in rehab) was actually planning on playing the “wait and see” game with West Virginia after his second offseason incident, but his wife took it upon herself to officially resign on his behalf. Now, Huggins is currently in a “sue or receive reinstatement” situation in Morgantown. The only problem for Huggins is, well…. West Virginia doesn’t want him back under any circumstances. The University made that perfectly when they promoted Josh Eilert to interim head coach and stated that they “will not accept Mr. Huggins’ revocation of his resignation, nor will it reinstate him as head coach of the men’s basketball program.” According to the vice president and general counsel for West Virginia, Stephanie D. Taylor, the University is fully prepared to defend itself in court if Huggins elects to take legal action.
So, what are my thoughts on the matter? Well, quite frankly, I completely understand why West Virginia is ready to move on from him. If using a homophobic slur on the radio had been Huggins’ only mishap of the summer, Josh Eilert would have spent another season as an assistant on the Mountaineers’ staff. However, when you turn around and put innocent people in danger by driving while under the influence of alcohol, it’s evident the program would be better off with a new leader at the helm. In other words, with sharper decision-making skills, there’s no doubt that Huggins would have entered his 17th season as the Mountaineers’ head coach in 2023-24. If Huggins’ stance remains the same, you should expect him to take West Virginia to court in the upcoming months.
Courtside With Caleb 
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