Mike Bellotti resigns.

Former Oregon Head Coach and Athletic Director of the University of Oregon, Mike Bellotti, resigned today.  Health concerns, family matters, or something of the like?  Nope.  He quit to join ESPN as a College Football analyst.

Let me go ahead and say from the start that I hate Mike Bellotti and everything that even remotely relates to the University of Oregon.

Bellotti took over the reigns as HC at Oregon in 1995.  He resigned last July and took over as the school’s AD.  Since then, Oregon has seen a myriad of off the field incidents, including LeGarrett Blount sucker punching a Boise State player.  Which, coincidentally, was awesome.

Anyways.  Bellotti just days ago fired men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent, who just so happened to be the winningest coach in Oregon’s history, and an Oregon alum to boot.  Now he leaves Oregon 8 months after accepting the AD job for a job at ESPN?  I guess watching the media scrutinize his program for the illegal activities of their players (whom he recruited) was too much.  But this just seems like such a pussy move on Bellotti’s part.  You were responsible for bringing in a lot of players who committed these illegal acts (stealing laptops, domestic violence, just to name a few) and you bolt 3 days after firing someone who used to be a close colleague and has been your subordinate for less than a year?  Nice work, Mike.

My favorite part of his press conference was this quote:

I am really excited to join the best team in college football broadcasting.  Working as an analyst for ESPN is a dream come true and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

 

Right, so being the Athletic Director of a Division 1 school who just won the Pac 10 Championship in football is just a run-of-the-mill, dime-a-dozen job that comes along every year.  But a college football analyst on ESPN?  Good lord.  How could he not jump at the opportunity to work for the WorldWide Leader?  I just hope he grows out the ‘stache again.  He looked so much better with the push broom.

I guess you can’t expect any more from a school who produces cheerleaders like this one:

You stay classy, Bellotti.  Way to keep the integrity of the University of Oregon intact.