Price fired as Alabama football coach
Price was hired away from Washington State in December and never coached the Crimson Tide in a game. Alabama president Robert Witt said Price lost his job for failing to live his "personal and professional life in a manner consistent with university policies."
It's the latest in a series of black marks for a once-proud football program that has won six national championships but is now on NCAA probation.
And Price isn't the only college coach whose conduct away from games has been under scrutiny. Iowa State men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy was suspended last week for being photographed at a student party after an away game. The school's athletic director recommended that Eustachy be fired.
In Alabama, reports emerged during the week that Price spent hundreds of dollars at a Florida topless bar and, the next morning, a woman ordered about $1,000 of room service and charged it to his hotel bill.
The 57-year-old Price, who hired two sons for his Alabama coaching staff, and his wife attended a public session with university trustees today.
He then had a private meeting with Witt.
After Witt announced the firing, a tearful Price said: "I apologize to my wife, the team and my coaches. I will learn from this." He said he asked Witt for a second chance, but the president declined.
Witt called Price "a great coach, a good man," but the president added that Price failed to live up to responsibilities that come with the job of head coach at Alabama.
Before trustees went behind closed doors, pleas were made to retain Price.
"Everybody makes mistakes," quarterback Brodie Croyle said. "You can rest assured it won't happen again. ... He is sorry for what he did. Please, have mercy."
Prices' sons, Eric and Aaron, spoke on his behalf.
"In his 57 years, there's been one moment in his life he didn't act appropriately," Aaron Price said.
Witt said he regretted the "period of uncertainty" for Alabama players who now must wait to see who their new head coach will be. Their previous coach, Dennis Franchione, left abruptly after last season for Texas A&M. The football team's probation stems from rules violations under coach Mike DuBose, who was forced out in 2000 during a 3-8 season.
Price led Washington State to back-to-back 10-win seasons and a Rose Bowl berth last season. He was to have been Alabama's sixth head coach since Bear Bryant retired after the 1981 season.
The late Bryant set the standard — and lofty expectations — for all future Alabama football coaches, winning five AP national championships and establishing a since-broken record for Division I victories.
The only other Alabama coach to win a national title was Gene Stallings in 1992.
With Price clearly in trouble this week, and the program in turmoil, there has been talk among Alabama fans that Stallings might be called on to take over on an interim basis.
Price agreed to a seven-year contract worth $10 million with Alabama but never signed it. The deal had a clause saying he could be fired for any behavior "that brings (the) employee into public disrepute, contempt, scandal, or ridicule or that reflects unfavorably upon the reputation or the high moral or ethical standards of the University."
When Price was hired by Alabama, he immediately showed deference to Bryant's legacy.
"I want to be the second-best coach in the history of Alabama football," Price said at the time. "If I could do that, I think that would be wonderful. It probably isn't going to be done the way Papa did it, the way Coach Bryant did it. It's going to be the way I do it. To walk on the same sidelines that he walked is a huge honor."
He never got the chance.