Ray Glier

It’s sad about the circumstances that caused Eddie Sutton to retire, but the longtime coach did the right thing Friday.

After being cited for a DUI in February and then admitting he had a relapse with alcohol and detailing how serious his health issues are, Sutton quit after 35 years of coaching and dropped his chase of 800 wins.

But Sutton didn’t go out quietly, posting up 798 wins.

After leaving Kentucky in disgrace in 1989, Sutton resurrected his coaching career at Oklahoma State when it was one of the least-fashionable — though tradition-rich — programs in I-A.

He battled the demons of alcohol and restored the luster to a program that had the lights shut off long ago. Oklahoma State got to the Final Four twice under Sutton.

Sutton is a coach everyone gushes over, including rival coaches in the Big 12.

Everywhere there is praise . . . well, maybe not in Kentucky.

Sutton left Lexington in a cloud of suspicion in 1989. The Wildcats were put on probation when an envelope addressed to a recruit burst open open because it was stuffed with so much cash. There were also questions about ringers taking tests for Sutton’s basketball players.

The UK fans I have talked to never forgave Sutton for staining the Big Blue program. He resigned after a 13-19 season in 1988-89, though he was never implicated directly in the violations.

Disgraced, Sutton gathered himself at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, and we thought we would never hear from him again at such an outpost.

But in his 16 seasons, the Cowboys have won 368 games and have 13 20-win seasons. In his first season at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys went to the NCAA Tournament, which made Sutton the first coach to take four teams to the NCAAs (Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State).

Now you know why there were “Eddie” stickers, shaped like an orange heart, all over the OSU arena Monday night in the Cowboys game against No. 22 Kansas.

Fans of Bob Huggins might wonder why Sutton gets a pass and a good coach like Huggins gets smeared when he is caught in a car under the influence. Well, all you have to do is see the warmth that greets Sutton at the end of games from opposing coaches like Bill Self, Bob Knight, Lute Olson to understand.

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The coaching fraternity is rallying around Sutton because he was a good soldier after the episode at Kentucky. They like it when one of their own, a veteran, can pick himself up and make good again.

Sutton’s teams were tough on defense, and his peers liked that. OSU shared the ball and Sutton never boasted and was demure. He always said the right things in victory and defeat and the brotherhood liked that, too.

So that is why Sutton will get support in leaving the coaching ranks. Sutton knew he couldn't coach again after admitting he has issues with alcohol, which everyone suspected.

Eddie Sutton just couldn't coach again, but at least he should leave with a pat on the back, 800 wins or not.

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