In the statement, Pelini said he denied using illegal drugs to FAU athletic director Patrick Chun on Oct. 30, but was told by Chun that it was “irrelevant” because he was “being relieved” of his duties “for failure to supervise my staff.”
Pelini indicated Chun told him at least one staff member admitted using drugs in the coach’s presence, but Pelini denied knowledge that “any staff member was using illegal drugs.”
Pelini replaced Howard Schnellenberger as FAU’s coach following the 2011 season after serving as the defensive coordinator at Nebraska under his brother, Bo Pelini.
Pelini has a 5-15 with the Owls and he is just 3-10 in conference play. FAU named Brian Wright as interim coach in his stead and the Owls upset Tulane last Saturday to improve to 3-6 overall, 2-4 in conference.
It seems highly unlikely that Pelini is going to get his job back, especially with FAU seemingly moving in the right direction. And, besides, the Owls may already have their sights set on a permanent replacement for Pelini.
This whole mess may eventually get settled in a court room.