FIRST DOWN
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino indicated it was never his intention to see Renee Gork, a local radio personality, fired after she wore a Florida Gators hat to a post-scrimmage news conference last Saturday morning.
Petrino spoke about the incident, which created a firestorm in the state and has garnered national attention, during a press conference following the team’s second practice Wednesday. Gork was fired by KAKS on Monday, two days after drawing his ire for the hat.
“I don’t know that much about the attention from the national media,” Petrino said. “When the incident happened here, there was never an intention to see it escalate the way that it did. But that kind of got out of our control.”
The incident occurred when Gork asked Petrino a question following Arkansas’ scrimmage in Razorback Stadium. He answered, but with a caveat: “And that will be the last question I answer with that hat on.”
Arkansas fans admonished her actions on Internet message boards and pushed for her dismissal from the radio station. Gork’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, in which she posted messages indicating she was a fan of Florida athletics, were discovered and added fuel to the fire.
It gained more notoriety after Gork’s dismissal, which she announced on Twitter. Gork and KAKS station manager Dan Storrs were guests on national radio shows Tuesday. The Razorbacks also addressed the matter, saying they did not request that Gork be dismissed from the station.
Gork — a Florida graduate — offered her apologies to Petrino and the university, saying it was not intentional.
“It really was an accident,” Gork told the Stephen A. Smith show. “I really didn’t think there was going to be any harm out of it or else I would have not worn it.”
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
• Senior Anthony Leon earned more work with the first-team defense Wednesday morning. Petrino said the purpose was to give Leon more work at his new position after moving down from safety Monday. “We really feel that will be a good position for him,” Petrino said of Leon’s move. “It will help with his quickness. I like his ability to come downhill and strike and take on a block.”
• Petrino wasn’t ready to name any leaders in the race for kicking and punting duties Wednesday. But he said the first two weeks of practice have proven Arkansas is much improved in both facets. “The competition has been good for everybody,” Petrino said. “It’s going to come down to consistency and who can do it on a consistent basis. There have been flashes of good here and good there.”
• Zach Hocker’s field goal attempts were the highlight of the morning practice. The freshman, who was with the second-team, made 7 of 12 attempts. He was 2 of 6 from 49 yards or longer, making a 51-yarder on his fourth attempt to end the workout. Alex Tejada was 4-for-5 with a miss from 26 yards. Eddie Camara was 4-for-4 Wednesday.
• Arkansas’ veterans got a rare treat Wednesday. After participating in the morning practice, Petrino gave the group the afternoon off. The newcomers didn’t get the same luxury, participating in an afternoon workout.
• One “veteran” who participated in the afternoon workout was senior linebacker Freddy Burton. Petrino said Burton took part in the workout because he didn’t “practice as physical (Tuesday) as he needed to.”
INJURY REPORT
Defensive tackle Patrick Jones did not practice Wednesday. … Safety Rudell Crim and linebacker Jermaine Love returned to the first-team defense after missing time earlier this week because of injuries.
QUOTABLE
“I am happy where we are at right now. I think we have a team that really understands our schemes and our mental preparation has been very good. Our execution isn’t as good as it needs to be. Some of that could be the two-a-days legs and fatigue. Our timing is a little bit off. But mentally our guys have been sharp and mentally understanding what we need to get done.” — Petrino’s thoughts after two weeks of preseason camp.
UP NEXT
Arkansas will return to the field tonight, holding a scrimmage in Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The workout is scheduled to last from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., but is not open to the public. Arkansas has one more open workout scheduled for Saturday in Razorback Stadium.
— Robbie Neiswanger • Arkansas News Bureau
