One of the most high profile people in the sports media world this week, is totally in hiding. Jessica Dorrell, mistress of fired Arkansas Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino is in “safe mode” as friends and contacts described her. She’s been a trending term on the internet since Easter weekend, but she’s shunning any and all publicity.
Why?
Her fiance Josh Morgan lost his job with the University, much like Petrino. Is her gig next? Will she voluntarily step down?
I consulted Los Angeles-based trial attorney, broadcast analyst Debra Opri to try and find the answers. With Ms. Dorrell is this a case of “silence is golden?” Should we expect her to keep quiet and lay low for a long time?
“Keeping quiet will be her greatest advantage, although in recent situations we’ve seen just the opposite,” Opri said by email.
“On the other hand, if she is intends on filing for civil damages, then it becomes open season on the ‘boss’.”
How come the other two figures in this case (Petrino, Josh Morgan) have lost their job, yet no decision has been reached on hers?
“Arguably she is the victim at this point, and the school has no real bounds (or obligation for that matter) to fire her,” said Opri.
“The original firings of Petrino & Morgan is something that any school would do with immediacy. I would guess that in the near future Ms. Dorrell will ‘step down’ rather than being publicly fired.”
Then there’s the question of sexual harassment. There’s one type- unwanted sexual attention, which isn’t an issue here as this was a consensual relationship. The more serious type is “quid pro quo,” and that might have been at work here.
“A more apparent civil suit is the emotional suffering Ms. Dorrell endured, which put immense pressure on her to keep the consensual relationship alive in fear of losing her job,” Opri explained.
I guess we won’t be publicly hearing from Dorrell any time soon.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.