Carl Pelini could be defensive line coach

February 22, 2015 at 12:09a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State football coach Bo Pelini is considering hiring his brother, Carl, to be the Penguins’ defensive line coach, according to several sources.

Carl Pelini has not coached since he was fired as Florida Atlantic’s head coach during the 2013 season amid reports of illegal drug use, a charge Pelini has since denied.

Pelini originally resigned on Oct. 30, 2013, after his defensive line/special teams coach Matt Edwards, swore in an affidavit that he saw Pelini smoke marijuana in Key West 11 days earlier and that he had personally seen Pelini use marijuana and cocaine in the previous 12 months. Edwards made the same claims about then-FAU defensive coordinator Pete Rekstis.

Rekstis is a YSU graduate and former assistant coach with the Penguins from 1999-2003. He is now the defensive coordinator at Rhode Island.

Another person claimed in an affidavit to have seen Carl Pelini smoking marijuana and to have received a text message from Pelini admitting he uses drugs.

Florida Atlantic’s athletic director, Pat Chun, confronted Pelini and Rekstis with the allegations on Oct. 30, 2013, and the coaches immediately resigned. Weeks later, Pelini asked that his resignation be withdrawn. That request was granted on Nov. 26, 2013, when FAU changed the resignation to a firing.

FAU’s interim president, Dennis J. Crudele, then wrote a letter to Pelini saying he was fired for failing to report the conduct of a staff member and not for using illegal drugs.

Carl Pelini, a Cardinal Mooney High graduate and former head coach at Austintown Fitch, worked as Bo Pelini’s defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Nebraska from 2008-11. He was one of at least three candidates interviewed to replace Tom Sims at YSU. Sims was not retained by Bo Pelini and was later hired by Ursuline High graduate Pat Narduzzi at Pitt.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.