Reports: WVU coach booted from casino

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West Virginia offensive coordinator and head-coach-in-waiting Dana Holgorsen was escorted out of a casino last week after 3 a.m., according to multiple media reports.

West Virginia athletic director Oliver Luck acknowledged "inappropriate behavior" in a statement from the school Wednesday.

"Coach Stewart and I have made it clear, and will reiterate, that our coaches and staff are representing the University and the state at all times. We expect them to always display appropriate behavior," the statement said.

Multiple sources told the Charleston Daily Mail on Wednesday that Holgorsen was at the Mardi Gras Casino & Resort in Cross Lanes, W.Va., on May 18 when he became uncooperative with management. Casino security was called to deal with the situation. The Charleston Gazette reported that when local police arrived, Holgorsen left the casino and sat on a bench outside to wait for a taxi. Holgorsen showed up for a school golf function the next morning.

No charges have been filed against Holgorsen.

"I learned a valuable lesson from this incident," Holgorsen said in the school's statement. "As a football coach, I am always in the public eye and I have to hold myself to a higher standard, which is what I ask our players to do. I'm sorry that this incident has put the University and the football program in a difficult position. I will not put myself in that situation again."

Holgorsen was hired away from Oklahoma State on Dec. 12 and will succeed current coach Bill Stewart beginning in 2012.

Holgorsen will make $750,000 as offensive coordinator -- $200,000 less than Stewart's base salary. Holgorsen will start at $1.4 million, plus incentives and bonuses, as head coach. His deal runs through 2016.

Brian Bennett covers the Big East for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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• ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
• Joined ESPN.com in 2008
• Wrote for The Courier-Journal