Welp, that didn’t take long.
Rutgers University has fired men’s basketball coach Mike Rice less than 24 hours after ESPN’s Outside the Lines aired shocking video footage of Rice verbally and physically abusing his players.
The video footage shows an unhinged Rice physically attacking his players and throwing basketballs at their heads during practice.
The video sparked anger and outrage on Wednesday. NBA star LeBron James vented his anger on Twitter.com Tuesday, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie was “deeply disturbed” by the video.
The saddest aspect of the video was the players, their spirits broken, absorbing the abuse heaped on them by their coach as if they had no other choice but to accept the abuse.
3 basketball players transferred to other schools as a result of Rice’s abuse.
The video was turned over to the school last Summer by former director of player development Eric Murdock, whose contract was not renewed after he came forward with the allegations. Murdock has since filed a lawsuit against Rutgers.
Murdock, who is black, sat for an interview with Outside The Lines.
“To witness that video and see your coach physically putting his hands on players, physically kicking players, firing balls at players at point-blank range, the verbal abuse, the belittling. Yeah, I was in total shock that this guy wasn’t fired,” Murdock said on ESPN.
The school announced the decision to fire Rice on its website Wednesday morning.
“Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice,” the school statement read.
But the school’s athletic director, Tim Pernetti, defended Rice yesterday — even after reporters questioned why Pernetti only suspended Rice for 3 games in December and fined him $50,000 after Murdock showed him the video.
Pernetti told reporters he launched an investigation and spent “hundreds of hours” talking to those involved in the program to determine what happened. At the time, Pernetti reportedly told investigators not to recommend a punishment for Rice — that he would determine Rice’s punishment.
Pernetti told reporters that the punishment was appropriate because it was Rice’s “first offense.”
“Honestly, we’ve dealt with this issue,” Pernetti told local reporters on Tuesday. When reporters asked Pernetti why Rice calling players faggots and fairies wasn’t a fireable offense, he said: “I’ll just tell you this about certain words that were used, they’re unacceptable and if you use them once it’s once too many. At a place like Rutgers — one of the most diverse universities in the world, which we pride ourselves on, it’s absolutely unacceptable.”
But Pernetti sang a different tune Wednesday:
“I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice,” Pernetti said in a statement released Wednesday. “Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community.”
Pernetti’s head should be on the block next. Rice’s abusive behavior toward student athletes should never be tolerated after the Penn State scandal rocked the sports world last year.
