It was a bit of a bizarre scene at Rutgers football practice Thursday morning. Police showed up, as did athletics director Julie Herman. Given the recent headlines involving head football coach Kyle Flood, you could be forgiven for expecting something bad to go down. That was not the case, however, as Flood announced to the media he was still planning on coaching the Scarlet Knights on Saturday against Norfolk State in the season opener.
“I will be coaching the game on Saturday,” Rutgers football coach said with conviction after Thursday’s practice. “It’s always great to have the support of your administration. I think when the players come out to practice and they see that your athletic director is here, I think that speaks to it.”
It is not every day the AD at Rutgers makes her way to football practice, and her reason for attending was unconfirmed publicly. Herman declined to field questions from the members of the media on hand for Rutgers practice.
Flood is being investigated by the university for alleged direct contact of a professor regarding the eligibility of one of his players. According to a report published on Wednesday, the Flood allegedly disobeyed a direct order from the academic support staff with regard to the eligibility. Flood expressed anger in that information being relayed to the media. If guilty of violating university protocol the punishment to Flood could range from as little as a reprimand to as extreme as the termination of his contract.
If nothing else, Flood feels confident he is not going anywhere and facing a similar fate as ex-Illinois head coach Tim Beckman.
UPDATE (1:40 p.m.): No sooner than hitting the publish button on this post, news breaks multiple Rutgers players have been arrested for an alleged assault. That would likely explain the police presence.