Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Football Coach, Hospitalized After Motorcycle Crash

ESPN is reporting that Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino was hospitalized following a motorcycle accident on Sunday evening.

According to the report, the crash happened around 6:45pm on Arkansas Highway 16 in Madison County near Crosses, a community in northeast Arkansas about 20 miles from Fayetteville, where the school is located.

Local police spokesman Bill Sadler said Petrino’s motorcycle left the highway and crashed. The cause of the wreck is unknown at this time.

Following the accident the coach was transported to a local hospital and remained hospitalized overnight.

In a statement issued through the university, Petrino’s family said the 51-year-old coach “is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery. Our family appreciates respect for our privacy during the recovery and we are grateful for the thoughts of Razorback fans at this time.”

A source close to Petrino told ESPN the coach is “pretty banged up” but that the injuries were not life threatening, and Petrino, 51, plans to “return to practice as quickly as possible.”

Another source told Thomas Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that Petrino has multiple broken ribs, “all kind of cuts and bruises” and a neck sprain, but that the coach was going to be okay.

Petrino has coached Arkansas the last four years, bringing the team to three straight bowl games. He’s 34-17 in four seasons at the school, 21-5 over the last two.

Last season, the Razorbacks were ranked fifth in the nation are expected to be a formidable opponent during the 2012 season.

Prior to Arkansas, Bobby Petrino spent 4 years as Louisville’s head coach before taking over the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. He left the Falcons after 13 games in the 2007 season to join the Razorbacks.

via ESPN