Several hours after Ed Reed announced he was no longer being considered as the next Bethune-Cookman football coach, the school released a statement to confirm the news.
“Bethune-Cookman University has announced that it has decided not to proceed with contract negotiations with Ed Reed to become the next head football coach at B-CU,” a statement on the school’s website said. “After undergoing a detailed assessment and review of the state of our football program, we have determined that it is in the best interest of our university, athletics program, and football student-athletes to reopen the search and identify the next leader of Bethune-Cookman Wildcats Football.”
The statement seemed to suggest that Reed’s recent online commentary factored into the decision not to move forward with the Pro Football Hall of Famer some 25 days after he was named coach on Dec. 27.
“While we appreciate the initial interest in our football program displayed by Mr. Reed during the course of recent weeks, we are also mindful of the qualities and attributes that must be exhibited by our institutional personnel during what have been uniquely challenging times for our campus as we recover from the impact of two hurricanes during this past fall semester,” according to the statement.
Last week, Reed expressed frustration about the conditions of the school, B-CU administration and the state of HBCUs in a pair of social media videos that went viral.
Reed claimed that athletics director and men’s basketball coach Reggie Theus wanted him to withdraw from the position, though he had been working without a contract.
Reed said during a meeting with a group of 25 recruits that he would not consider doing so and wanted to stay.
“They don’t want me here because I tell the truth,” he said after the university reportedly decided not to ratify his contract. “No, I don’t want to leave. I want all of you recruits. But there are some corrupt people in the world. There are some evil people in this world that do not care about kids like I do.”
Bethune-Cookman said that it will immediately begin a search for a head coach.
“Bethune-Cookman University was founded with core guiding principles centered around integrity, accountability, and mutual respect for others, the statement said. “These guiding principles have and will continue to weigh heavily on all decisions made that impact our university.”
