Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Rutgers fires Mike Rice

Rutgers has fired embattled men's basketball coach Mike Rice.

"Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice," the university said in a statement.

Rice came under firer after an explosive video showed him physically and verbally abusing his players during practice surfaced.

Athletic Director Tim Pernetti first saw the video in December and suspended Rice for three games and fined him $50,000, an almost ludicrous under reaction.  Only after the video was leaked to ESPN and morphed into a national news story did Pernetti make the decision to fire Rice.


"I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of coach Rice," said Pernetti. "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."

Rice was originally hired by the school in 2010, and his teams went 44-51 during his tenure, including a mark of 16-38 in the Big East.

No comments: