Jessica Dorrell Today: What Happened After the 2012 Petrino Controversy?

In 2012, the University of Arkansas was shaken by a scandal involving head football coach Bobby Petrino and then 25-year-old student-athlete development coordinator Jessica Dorrell. It all came to light after a motorcycle crash on April 1, where Petrino initially claimed to be alone but later admitted Dorrell had been with him. That accident ultimately exposed a secret affair between the two, leading to Petrino’s firing and Dorrell’s quiet departure from the university.

Now, over a decade later, many wonder: Where is Jessica Dorrell today? What has happened in her life since the controversy that put her in national headlines?

The Scandal Recap

At the time of the incident, Bobby Petrino was a married man, serving as Arkansas’s head football coach. Jessica Dorrell, a former Arkansas volleyball player, was recently hired as the football program’s student-athlete development coordinator. That role was reportedly highly sought after, with 159 applicants. Her hiring raised eyebrows not only due to her relationship with Petrino but also because of the special treatment she received, including a $20,000 gift that Petrino called a “Christmas present.” She reportedly used the money for a new car and personal expenses, including wedding costs.

Records later revealed that Petrino and Dorrell exchanged over 300 phone calls and more than 7,000 text messages over the course of a year. They began spending time together while Dorrell worked for the Razorback Foundation as a fundraiser, and their romantic relationship began in late 2011. The university’s athletic director, Jeff Long, documented in his investigation that Petrino had not disclosed the conflict of interest, the monetary gift, or the nature of his relationship with Dorrell during the hiring process. This led to Petrino’s termination on April 10, 2012.

Dorrell was engaged at the time to Josh Morgan, the university’s Director of Swimming and Diving Operations. Their wedding website had to be shut down due to online harassment following the news. Despite the controversy, Dorrell and Morgan went ahead with their marriage the following year. All three individuals—Petrino, Dorrell, and Morgan—left the University of Arkansas shortly after the scandal.

Jessica Dorrell After Arkansas

Following her resignation from the university, Jessica Dorrell kept a very low public profile. She avoided media appearances and refrained from commenting publicly on the scandal. However, a few months after leaving Arkansas, she secured a new position with the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA), which supports educational leadership in the state.

Details about her specific role at SCASA remain limited, likely due to the organization’s desire to shield her from renewed media scrutiny. Still, her ability to land a professional job so quickly after such a high-profile controversy indicates that she worked hard to move forward from the situation and resume a normal life outside the national spotlight.

Over the years, Dorrell has maintained her privacy. She is not publicly active on social media, and her name has rarely surfaced in the news since the fallout. For someone at the center of such a widely reported controversy, her ability to disappear from the public eye has been notable.

The Return of Bobby Petrino

In 2023, Bobby Petrino returned to headlines when the University of Arkansas rehired him, this time as the offensive coordinator. The news came 11 years after his scandalous exit and surprised many, sparking renewed interest in the 2012 affair and raising questions about the university’s decision.

Image Source: www.jacksonville.com

Petrino had not remained idle in the years following the scandal. He held coaching jobs at Western Kentucky, Louisville, Missouri State, and most recently, Texas A&M. His quick return to coaching in 2013 showed that his career took a temporary hit but not a permanent one. Many critics pointed out that he never really faced long-term consequences for his actions, especially when compared to Dorrell, whose life was turned upside down by the affair’s exposure.

While Petrino publicly apologized multiple times, his return to Arkansas stirred memories of his first tenure and the scandal that ended it. During the infamous press conference following his motorcycle crash, Petrino appeared with a neck brace and facial injuries, creating an unforgettable image that symbolized the controversy.

Where is Jessica Dorrell Today?

As of 2025, there are no confirmed public updates on Jessica Dorrell’s current role or location. Based on the last known information, she remained employed in South Carolina, possibly still with SCASA or a similar organization. She has not returned to sports administration or college athletics in a public role.

Image Source: Whole Hog Sports

Given how intense the public and media attention was in 2012, it is understandable that she has chosen to live a private life. She likely made a deliberate effort to distance herself from the sports world and any associations with the Arkansas scandal. What remains clear is that she faced both professional and personal challenges in the wake of the controversy, but appeared to find a way forward.

Final Thoughts

The Jessica Dorrell and Bobby Petrino scandal was one of the most talked-about stories in college football history. It led to significant consequences at the time—Petrino was fired, Dorrell resigned, and Arkansas faced media scrutiny for months.

While Petrino has slowly rebuilt his career and is now back in Fayetteville, Jessica Dorrell chose a different path. She avoided the spotlight and restarted her life away from college athletics. More than a decade later, the events of 2012 still follow both figures, but it is Dorrell who seems to have successfully stepped away from the public eye.

For those wondering where Jessica Dorrell is now, the answer seems to be: out of the spotlight and living a quieter life, far removed from the scandal that once made headlines across the country.