West Virginia head basketball coach Bob Huggins was charged with driving under the influence Friday night in Pittsburgh.
According to a police report obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Pittsburgh police say that Huggins was driving a black SUV on Friday night around 8:30 p.m. when officers observed his vehicle stopped in the middle of the road blocking traffic. The driver’s side door was open and the SUV vehicle had a flat and shredded tire.
Huggins had difficulty moving the vehicle so that other vehicles to pass and when questioned, officers say they “had strong suspicion to believe the male was intoxicated.”
Huggins exited the vehicle and failed standard field sobriety tests. He was taken into custody and subsequently released. Authorities say he will appear for a preliminary hearing at a later date.
“West Virginia University is aware of an incident last night involving Head Men’s Basketball Coach Bob Huggins, for which he was charged with Driving Under the Influence (DUI) in the City of Pittsburgh. We are gathering more information and will take appropriate action once the review is complete,” the school said in a statement.
It has been a turbulent offseason for the 69-year-old Huggins.
Last month, Huggins was suspended by the school for the first three games of the 2023-24 season after using a homophobic slur multiple times during a radio interview. He had his pay reduced for the 2023-24 season by $1 million and had his contract amended from a multi-year agreement to a year-by-year agreement. He was also mandated to undergo sensitivity training.
The school added that “any incidents of similar derogatory and offensive language will result in immediate termination.”
Huggins, a Naismith Hall of Fame inductee, has an 863-389 record in 38 seasons of coaching at Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia.
