Florida Atlantic head football coach Carl Pelini and defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis resigned Wednesday after school officials say they admitted to using illegal drugs.
ESPN broke the story, reporting that the coaches attended a social event at which marijuana was used. FAU officials received information about the allegations on Monday and began an investigation immediately. By Wednesday the coaches admitted to the drug use and resigned.
From the ESPN article:
"On Monday, I was made aware of these concerns and I immediately reported the allegations to our general counsel," [FAU athletic director Pat] Chun said at a news conference. "The university acted quickly and decisively to follow up and take action that is in the best interests of our student-athletes and the university overall. I can assure you that we have no information that suggests anyone other than these two individuals engaged in these activities.
"I am personally very saddened for our student-athletes, coaches and staff. I just met with the players a few moments ago and notified them of the news. As you could imagine, the reaction was shock, dismay and disbelief."
Chun released a statement on Pelini's behalf.
"I apologize for exercising poor judgment," Pelini's statement read. "My greatest concerns at this time are for my family, the dedicated FAU players and my staff. I am confident that Pat Chun and the university administration will continue to move the program forward."'
The revelations created quite a scene on the FAU campus, as Pelini coached practice Wednesday morning and was gone by Wednesday afternoon.
Pelini replaced Howard Schnellenberger as the Owl's coach after the 2011 season. He will leave the school with a 5-15 record. The school announced offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brian Wright will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season.Pelini and Rekstis were taken away from the FAU football offices by police. No arrests were made.
- Dieter Kurtenbach (@dkurtenbach) October 30, 2013
As for FAU, the school has the ability to collect $500,000 in damages from Pelini, according to his contract terms and athletics department spokeswoman Katrina McCormack.
As outlined on page eight of Pelini's contract, the agreement explicitly forbids drug use. Pelini signed a five-year, $450,000 contract in December of 2011.
