More details are emerging about Ed Reed’s rescinded head coach offer at Bethune-Cookman University, just days after it was announced the Florida HBCU wouldn’t be hiring him.
Over the weekend, football Hall of Fame player Edgerrin James took to Instagram to sound off about the issue. The Indianapolis Colts star said he was disappointed with the university’s decision.
“Sometimes. We’re our own worst enemy,” James captioned a photo carousel of him and Reed touring the school’s campus. “I hate for those kids not getting a chance to witness ‘What makes the great, GREAT…”
He also alleged that Reed had tapped some star-studded investors to revamp the school’s campus and football team.
“Your Vision and the outside support was about to have a greater impact than most realize. Shout out to @shaq and those other Billionaires you had ready to invest in your vision and build new facilities at Cookman,” he wrote.
On Saturday, during a fiery speech, Reed clarified that it wasn’t his decision to step down from the position. He alleged that were some “evil people” behind the move, who did not care about the future of Bethune-Cookman’s students.
Later the same day, Reed took to Twitter to formally announce his departure from Cookman.
“[A]fter weeks of negotiations I’ve been informed that the University won’t be ratifying my contract and won’t make good on the agreement we had in principle, which had provisions and resources best needed to support the student-athletes,” the statement said in part. “I was committed to coaching and cultivating a relationship with the University, Players, Community and the Fans. It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.”
Reed’s hiring and firing come just one week after he released a video on Instagram criticizing university staff about conditions on campus. He claimed that he and students had to pick up trash on more than one occasion. At one point in a series of videos, the former Baltimore Ravens star joked that he should “leave” as he wasn’t under contract to clean up the school’s campus. Reed later apologized for the quip.
BCU students protest Ed Reed’s rescinded job offer
On Monday, students at Bethune-Cookman flooded the campus to protest not hiring Reed.
In a video obtained by NBC News affiliate Wesh 2, a crowd of students was filmed protesting near the university’s White Hall Chapel. According to the outlet, many were shouting “board of trustees has to go.” The protest poured onto the street in front of the campus.
Bethune-Cookman students are protesting in support of Ed Reed and his comments about the facilities at the school. Students were chanting for administrators to step down @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/RK7YPlHkLO
— Dave Puglisi (@DavePuglisiTV) January 23, 2023
Since Reed’s removal, several petitions have been launched to help the former NFL star regain his position. One petition, spearheaded by more than 20 football players from the university, called Reed’s dismal “unjust.”
“We firmly believe that the abrupt dismissal of our newly hired head coach Ed Reed is unjust not only to the student-athletes but to the entire BCU family, and community and does not align with our founders’ legacy,” the players said in their petition.
#Hailwildcats🐯 pic.twitter.com/ePhgwZz0Xi
— Branden McDonald (@Branden5mc) January 22, 2023
This article originally appeared on NewsOne.
