Mike Rice fired at Rutgers after abusive behavior on practice tapes comes to light

The Star-Ledger ^ | 4-03-13 | Brendan Prunty

[deport]

Mike Rice's three-year run at Rutgers has come to an end.

The university terminated Rice's contract this morning following a meeting with athletic director Tim Pernetti in his office at the Rutgers Athletic Center. Rice's job status became tenuous when videotapes of his actions during practices from his first and second years on campus were made public by ESPN's "Outside the Lines" program on Tuesday.

Rice was seen throwing basketballs at players — including one instance, throwing it at a player's head — as well as shoving players during a practice. He was also heard using the term "f------ faggot" at a player and using abusive language.

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Photos at the article link...

[deport]

Woody Hayes would never stand a chance of coaching today.

******************

I expect you would hear similar stories about coaches past and present in many differing levels of athletics. I remember in my high school years hearing about things some high school coaches employed in practice and was glad I was never a part of it.

Interesting story of Coach Bear Bryant and the Ten days in hell with the Bear

Over a period of two years, I interviewed all of the Junction survivors and many of the quitters for a book published by St. Martin's Press in 1999 titled "The Junction Boys." Gene Stallings, who would later coach the Cowboys secondary for fourteen years, and lead Alabama to a national title in 1992, uttered the most unforgettable line about the hell camp; "We went out there in two buses and came back in one."

Players ran off in the middle of the night. Some hitchhiked back to College Station. The ones who were brave enough to inform Bryant they were quitting received a free ride to the bus station and a ticket home. For the most part, they scurried across the dusty and rocky grounds through the moonlit darkness as the others yelled from their beds, "Tell the girls back in College Station we said howdy! Tell 'em we'll be home soon."

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[dfwgator]

We just lost one of the Junction Boys, Jack Pardee.

[dfwgator]

When he quit winning it became less okay.

This.

[JoeProBono]

Rutgers Basketball Coach Mike Rice Abusing His Players 2013

[deport]

Thanks for the note on Pardee.

WIKI says he was one of 35 players to survive the Ten Days in Hell.

John Perry Pardee (April 19, 1936 – April 1, 2013) was an
American football linebacker and the only head coach to helm
a team in college football, the National Football League,
the United States Football League, the World Football League,
and the Canadian Football League. Pardee was inducted into the
College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986.

[Mase]

That's a good story, but not unsurprising. I wrestled in school, in a state that was fanatic about the sport, so I have some first hand experience with psychopaths as coaches. Even though the practices were hell, I look back on those days nostalgically, and realize that a lot of what I learned in "the room" has benefited me as an adult.

I also remember how the football coaches treated us in elementary school. We were far too young to be playing tackle football then, and there was no excuse for how some of these coaches behaved. I see the same thing in today's coaches when I watch kids younger than 10 play tackle football in Florida. There are some scary people out there serving as coaches, along with a lot of parents who don't exercise very good judgment.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Is he making an appointment with Oprah and/or Sharpton?

[OKSooner]

Actually Woody Hayes didn’t stand a chance at coaching after he personally assaulted a DB from Clemson back in ‘78 or so.

[OKSooner]

Thank you.

[perez24]

When I coached lacrosse, from “very rec league” to pretty competitive levels. In the program, I was known as the coach who would sometimes pepper my talks with cursing so it’s not like the kids who played for me never heard it. Also, I don’t think it hurt them too much because most of them are playing are varsity lacrosse at their respective high schools.

That being said, how did calling the kid that name help in teaching what is actually a important concept in hockey, i.e. you need to go into the corners?

Do you rant and rave and yell at your employees or co-workers? If not, why is it okay to do that when you coach?

[EQAndyBuzz]

I get your point, but you have to understand the context. I was teaching a concept for almost a month. The age group I was coaching should have learned the concept 4 years prior.

Every hitting drill we ran the kid would find a reason to beg off. He would go to the back of the line, run the drill too slow and do everything he could to avoid being hit.

My assistant coaches worked with him individually, and I utilized every resource I had to teach this player. He was a great kid and a good player. My captains spoke with him, I spoke with him and I had other coaches speak with him. I rented ice on my own dime to bring him and a couple of my tougher players out.

The easy way out was to just cut him and after using every motivational tool in my arsenal, out of frustration I told the kid to stop being a **** and get in there and make something happen.

And that’s when the SHTF.

[perez24]

Oddly enough...I can kinda see your point now!!!!

[pieta]

I can only imagine that if he acts like that as a coach, what must he be like as a husband or a father? That lack of self-control is not just showing up on the court or i the gym. It’s in his household. He must be a joy on roadtrips with his family.