Ed Reed (Image source: Instagram – @edreedhof20)
Ed Reed, The NFL Hall of Famer who was expected to infuse the same type of electricity at an HBCU that Deion Sanders did at Jackson State, announced he is no longer the head football coach at Bethune-Cookman University.
Reed, arguably the greatest defensive back in the history of the NFL, announced from the Daytona Beach, Florida-based college that officials at Bethune-Cookman no longer desire his presence on campus. Reed is out before a contract was ever ratified between the two parties.
The imbroglio emanates from Reed’s stinging comments last week that the resources and football facilities at Bethune-Cookman are substandard, corroded and unacceptable. Despite the fact that Reed later apologized for his blunt denunciation of the facilities, the leadership apparently believed that Reed crossed the line.
The former fear-mongering safety who powered the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl win, took to Twitter and Instagram to inform the public that he is allegedly being forced out by the leadership.
“After 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,” Reed penned.
“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 also filmed the moment he broke the news to the university’s football players. During the impassioned speech, Reed used inflammatory words like “evil” and “corrupt” to describe the leadership who he says doesn’t have the best interests of the team at heart.
“No I don’t want to leave…But there are some corrupt people in this world, some evil people that don’t care about kids like I do,” Reed raged in front of his players. “I ain’t withdrawing my name. They got all kinds of stuff going on round here. Hoarding these buildings, putting nothing but trash in them.”
As a Miami Herald columnist wrote, Bethune-Cookman recruited “a lion” in the legendary Reed but expected him to behave “like a lamb” which is counter to his nature.
Ed Reed complaining about the trash at Bethune Cookman 😳
“I’m waking out here with the football team picking up trash. I should leave, I’m not even under contract yet !”
“Theses MFs didn’t even clean my office when I got here !” pic.twitter.com/oiKF8YrHqL
— Unfiltered Media ™️ (@UnfilteredInd) January 15, 2023
After the meeting with the players, Reed had a Facetime conversation with fellow legend and former Jackson State University head coach Deion Sanders, now the head coach at the University of Colorado.
“I know you do not want to leave those kids…Sometimes in life, you got to walk away,” Sander told Reed.
😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/RPiOVEjbU3
— Sam (@Moorelife1) January 21, 2023
