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Bobby Petrino's deceit about his motorcycle crash and his inappropriate relationship with a female staff member half his age has cost him his Arkansas football coaching job and the more than $21 million that remained on his contract.

Petrino's dismissal was announced Tuesday night by Arkansas director of athletics Jeff Long, the man who hired Petrino to take over as Razorbacks coach for the 2008 season.

With Petrino's teams going 21-5 over the last two seasons, reaction among some Arkansas faithful is certain to be bitter. But that resentment may be tempered by Long's disclosure that the married Petrino, 51, quickly hired 25-year-old Jessica Dorrell on March 28 over 158 other candidates, and that he also gave her a gift of $20,000.

Long didn't specify the source of the $20,000, or whether it involved school funds, but did say he interviewed the two and, "Both parties admitted a gift was given."

Dorrell was a passenger on Petrino's motorcycle when it veered off a rural Arkansas road and left the coach with four broken ribs and a cracked vertebrae on April 1. Petrino didn't disclose that information to school officials until four days later, nor was he immediately forthcoming about the details of what he admitted was an "inappropriate relationship" with the former Arkansas volleyball player, who reportedly is engaged.

Coach Petrino "had a lot of opportunities to share with me the nature of his relationship, and I'll leave it at that," Long said.

Long said only two other candidates were interviewed for the football program's student-athlete development coordinator job that Dorrell was awarded.

Long said Petrino had engaged in a "pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior to deceive me" and that the coach had "multiple opportunities over a four-day period to be forthcoming, and he chose not to."

Long said that his investigation made him aware the two had a relationship for "a significant period of time."

Petrino did eventually confirm Dorrell's involvement in the crash, but only after misleading both Long and the public during a news conference. That led the school to release a statement saying no one but Petrino was involved in the crash.

Long said there was no single issue that led to Petrino's dismissal, but that "casting the negative publicity onto our university ... was one of the more acute factors."

The investigation didn't turn up anything that constituted an NCAA violation, Long said, nor did he uncover any past misdeeds aside from the crash aftermath that made him regret hiring Petrino.

"I'm disappointed with coach Petrino's actions," Long said. "I'm disappointed in his lack of judgment, his failure to tell me the truth of it."

Addressing the backlash that's certain to come from fans, Long said:

"I realize this decision may not sit well with some Razorback fans here and across the nation. I'm certainly concerned. I know we have passionate fans ... I know they have disappointment. I have disappointment."

Petrino, through his agent, released a statement.

It said, in part: "The simplest response I have is: I'm sorry. These two words seem very inadequate. But that is my heart. All I have been able to think about is the number of people I've let down by making selfish decisions. I've taken a lot of criticism in the past. Some deserved, some not deserved. This time, I have no one to blame but myself.

"I chose to engage in an improper relationship. I also made several poor decisions following the end of that relationship and in the aftermath of the accident. I accept full responsibility for what has happened."

Petrino added that he had "hurt my wife Becky and our four children. I've let down the University of Arkansas, my team, coaching staff and everyone associated with the Razorback football program. As a result of my personal mistakes, we will not get to finish our goal of building a championship program."

As for what will come next for him, Petrino said:

"My sole focus at this point is trying to repair the damage I've done to my family. They did not ask for any of this and deserve better. I am committed to being a better husband, father and human being as a result of this and will work each and every day to prove that to my family, friends and others. I love football. I love coaching. I, of course, hope I can find my way back to the profession I love. In the meantime, I will do everything I can to heal the wounds I have created."