Hot off The Wire: Any Rutgers Fairhful Lurking?

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

Reported just now:
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood could be facing disciplinary action for impermissible contact with a Rutgers faculty member.
Flood apparently contacted a professor directly to inquire or possibly influence a player's grade in a class.

Details sure to follow....

 

[turney333]

Reported just now:
Rutgers coach Kyle Flood could be facing disciplinary action for impermissible contact with a Rutgers faculty member.
Flood apparently contacted a professor directly to inquire or possibly influence a player's grade in a class.

Details sure to follow....

Flood is angry and coming out strong against the report. To me, that's the wrong approach. Even if this was a non-issue due to some misunderstanding, why not say just that and give no further comment.

Besides, his explanation itself seems a bit dubious. He basically says that its acceptable for him to ask a professor if there's an opportunity to get a better grade on behalf of a player. But why can't the player just ask? The head coach stepping in would seem to suggest that he's trying to leverage his position to try to get a special exception for the player.

Also, if the player did ask himself, and then Flood also went to the professor saying "I've heard that ____ can't do extra work to improve his grade, is that REALLY the case?" then that also seems a bit sketchy.

 

[d_c_arpasi]

I am surprised they don't have and academic liason that I would think do the communicating with the prof.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/i...flood_investigation.html#incart_story_package

I am surprised they don't have and academic liason that I would think do the communicating with the prof.

They do have a liaison and compliance officer. And, it is also strictly in the Rutgers university bylaws that all communication between athletics and academics must go through them.
Problem is that Flood circumvented that process but he's holding is ground with the stance that:

1. It's one university community that should have a free exchange of communication.
2. Professors come to his practices.
3. He himself is a professor and has taught classes.
4. Is it wrong for a coach to ask a prof if his athlete can raise his grade through extra work?

I thought the Rutgers nation was pretty happy with Flood but take a look at some of the online commentary.