Pinkel: “I Have Failed Miserably” as Role Model
Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel expressed remorse for his actions in a press conference from his attorney’s office Monday afternoon.
“I have hurt and disappointed a lot of people,” Pinkel said. “I always try and be a good and positive role model but in the past week I have failed miserably.”
Pinkel, 59, pleaded guilty Friday to driving while intoxicated, which Boone County sheriff’s deputies arrested him for doing on Wednesday night. He was suspended for Missouri’s 31-27 win over Texas Tech, and called the Tigers’ win “remarkable.”
Pinkel said friends picked him up Saturday and drove him to his condominium in the Lake of the Ozarks, where he watched the game. He said watching the game was “gut-wrenching” and blamed himself for the Tigers’ early struggles.
“I saw the team play in the first quarter and we obviously weren’t very focused,” Pinkel said. “That’s me, what I put them through.”
Pinkel called the experience “more difficult than anything I’ve had to do in my life.”
“If they didn’t win that game I would’ve had to live with that the rest of my life,” Pinkel said.
Pinkel said the game was close, but he was unsurprised at the outcome.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all because of the quality of people we have,” Pinkel said.
Pinkel said he wanted “to earn the trust and respect of people back.” When asked how he planned to do so, he said he planned to “live the right kind of life,” and avoid bad decisions. Pinkel also said he felt the extensive media coverage of his arrest was fair.
“When I took this job, we understand there’s responsibilities you have,” Pinkel said. “Some people might say, It’s unfair you get treated differently from other people. We understand when you make a mistake it’s going to be publicized, and that’s part of my failure.”
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