The thing is, no one likes it when a kid renegs on a commitment at the last second, or when a coach does it to a kid, but most people tend to hold a 50-year old professional to a little higher standard than a 17 year old teenager. It's not right when either does it, and both do, but the standards and expectations are(and should be) different, even though the situation is the same.
Unfortunately, Alabama can get away with it because Saban can basically do whatever he wants because of who he is and what he's done. A school like Louisville and a coach like Petrino probably doesn't have the reputation to pull off something like that without backlash. Just like a star pro player who is under contract can hold out for more money and no one really bats an eye, if the backup/bench player tries to do the same, people are going to tell him to GTFO.
