FOXBORO, Mass. — Jake Bequette might find it more difficult than most to stomach the recent turmoil at Arkansas.
Head coach Bobby Petrino, who elevated the program's legitimacy over the last four seasons, was fired last month after it was discovered he had an inappropriate relationship with a female assistant.
The scandal was national news, and Petrino's reputation took a serious hit. For anyone from Arkansas, it wasn't easy to watch their program suffer so much scrutiny, particularly since it derived from the head coach's actions.
But Bequette was the fourth member of his family to play for the Razorbacks. His grandfather played there in the 1950s, and his father and uncle followed suit. The scandal really hit home for Bequette, a two-year captain for Petrino. But with that, Bequette has been proud of the way the rest of the program has battled through the situation.
"It's been tough on everyone," Bequette said. "But I think it's been awesome in a way to see how the players and what remains of the coaching staff have really bonded tighter. We really rallied behind Jeff Long, our athletic director. He made a really tough decision, first of all, to let coach Petrino go and then to get coach John L. Smith back in the fold to lead us this year. I couldn't be more proud of the guys. There's some great leadership there, and it wouldn't surprise me at all for them to have a great season next year."
The Patriots selected Bequette in the third round of this year's NFL draft.
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