Ed Reed still hasn’t joined the head coaching ranks after all.
The legendary safety announced Saturday that Bethune-Cookman “will not ratify my contract and will not fulfill the agreement that we had in principle.”
“I committed to coaching and cultivating a relationship with the university, players, community and fans,” Reed wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “It is extremely disappointing that this is not happening.”
The reversal comes less than a week after Reed publicly and profanely criticized the university and HBCUs in general in a series of social media videos.
“I should go,” Reed said at one point in a clip released last Sunday, after expressing displeasure that his office at Bethune Cookman had not been cleaned before his arrival. “I don’t even have a contract.”
cane he apologized later that day on Twitterwhich said in part:
“I would like to apologize to all BCU staff, students and alumni for my lack of professionalism. My language and tone were unacceptable as a parent, coach and leader. My passion for our culture, the improvement and creation of our foundation was the best. of me and I was also victimized while engaging with antagonists on social media.”
Reed’s early recruitment was thought to be another boost for HBCUs after the success of Deion Sanders at Jacksonville State. On December 27, Bethune-Cookman announced that it had reached an agreement with Reed to be its new head coach. But there were clearly concerns on Reed’s part with the position, leading him to ask for certain “cautions” in his agreement. His latest statement noted that his legal team and the school were negotiating “contract terms with the language and resources we knew were necessary to build a successful football program.”
A Hall of Fame player in both college and professional football, Reed had spent the past three years as the manager of the Miami Hurricanes, with whom he once starred. Reed also served as an assistant defensive backs coach with the Bills in 2016, two years after retiring from the NFL.
Bethune-Cookman is coming off 2-9 consecutive seasons under Terry Sims. The proud HBCU program last won a conference title in 2015.
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