Ed Reed announced on a live social media stream Saturday that he would no longer be the head coach at Bethune-Cookman and claimed the school was forcing him out.
“We’ve been around her trying to change things — and we have,” Reed told a group of 26 recruits during a meeting stream on an Instagram live feed. “And this had changed quickly. My vision for change was probably moving too fast for a lot of people. I’m not withdrawing my name as they (Bethune-Cookman) said. They don’t want me here. They don’t want me here because I tell the truth.”
In a statement posted through the Ed Reed Foundation shortly before the announcement was made, the Pro Football Hall of Famer outlined that Bethune-Cookman had been working with his representatives to craft a contract with “language and resources we knew were needed to build a successful football program.”
The statement indicated that after several weeks of negotiations, the school decided not to ratify Reed’s contract.
Reed publicly revealed that he had been working at Bethune-Cookman for several weeks without a contract since being named head coach on Dec. 27.
With great sadness… pic.twitter.com/bhcusZIsW9
— Ed Reed (@TwentyER) January 21, 2023
The school has not commented on the matter.
“Although we couldn’t make things work at BCU, the goal and mission are still the same,” the statement said. “We serve to lead — lead to serve.”
The development comes nearly a week after Reed expressed frustration in two separate videos regarding the condition of the university, lack of support, and his attempts to improve the situation while working without a contract.
Reed also responded to criticism he received in an explicit-filled rant where he was upset that he and the football team had to remove trash from campus grounds and that his own office wasn’t cleaned upon his arrival.
Reed later issued an apology for language and conduct that he described as unprofessional and unacceptable.
At the crux of his disappointment on Saturday, Reed mentioned that athletic director and current men’s basketball coach Reggie Theus allegedly told him to withdraw his name from consideration and that an email — read aloud by a member of Reed’s support staff — reflected that.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer denied he would ever consider doing so despite recent events.
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“No, I don’t want to leave,” Reed said. “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.
I ain’t withdrawing my name. I got the receipts. They got all kinds of stuff going on around here. And Deion (Sanders) was right. I know I’m right. And they (BCU) got some people who should be snitching to they’re ass.”
Sanders himself later appeared on the live stream to offer Reed support.
“Praying for you right now, man because this is going to be the toughest thing you’ve ever had to do in your life,” the Colorado coach said.” Sometimes you have to walk away. You didn’t let anybody down. You didn’t let those kids down. You tried your best.”
Reed was also upset over the notion that he was on the way out over profanity used in social media videos.
“It ain’t right. I spoke the truth,” he said. “You mad because you hear some curse words? Just because you hear some curse words? You worried about curse words when they got people out here trying to kill these young men. It ain’t me I knew I wasn’t wrong. I don’t care what anybody said — and I still don’t.”
