Arkansas head football coach Bobby Petrino was fired Tuesday night after athletic director Jeff Long concluded his review and released shocking information to the public about the nature of the motorcycle crash and the events surrounding the Petrino scandal.

In a press conference Tuesday night, Long stated that Petrino was terminated from the head coaching position for the Razorback football program after his review concluded that Petrino had withheld information regarding his motorcycle crash and the “inappropriate relationship” he had with passenger Jessica Dorrell.

Long stated that Petrino “knowingly misled” the university, releasing information that Dorrell was one of 159 applicants who applied for the position. Dorrell was hired under an unfair advantage, given $20,000 by Petrino, and was part of an “inappropriate relationship” that took place for a significant amount of time. Not only did Petrino mislead the athletic department about the nature of his professional and personal relationship with Dorrell, but also left opportunities open to reveal information about the nature of the motorcycle accident earlier in the month.

Long stated his disappointment in the situation and the actions that Petrino took. The press conference was emotional and upsetting not only to Long but to the Razorback family as a whole. Information that was released during the press conference about the nature of Dorrell’s hiring and other violations was shocking to students and Razorback fans, and Long expressed his extreme disappointment with Petrino’s dishonest actions.

Across the nation, the news that Petrino had been let go  was a trending topic on social networking site, Twitter, a top headline on websites such as ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CNN, USA Today and the New York Times, and the topic of student conversation for the week leading up to the breaking news.

As Razorback fans and students, it’s important that we support our athletic department through this tough time, no matter how much we agree or disagree with the decision Long made. It is apparent, through the press conference, that many people were affected by the situation on a personal level, and that the decision that was made was not an easy one.

Now that the review has been completed, we can stop speculating on the outcome and know that the next step is to support our student athletes, coaches and athletic department as a whole.

We stand behind Long and his decision to terminate Petrino for his actions and for jeopardizing the football program. Though many are not in favor of the decision that Long made, we stand behind his choice to let Petrino go and to look for a new head coach.

At this time, we must come together as a student body and support the student athletes and staff who were directly affected by Petrino’s actions. We must also come together as a unified body of students and Razorbacks to support one another during this time that many of us are hurting and upset over the situations that took place over the past week. We are still a Razorback family, and together we stand in support of the decisions that were made and the changes that will come in the future.