Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys supports his players boycott

Minnesota coach Tracy Claeys sent a tweet in support of his players standing up for people who allegedly committed acts of sexual assault.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers had a lot of success on the field. They finished the regular season 8-4, and are playing in their fifth straight bowl game. Off the field, it’s been a different story. Back in September, four players were suspended for a game because of an alleged sexual assault. In October, multiple accusations of sexual assault, sexual harassment and retaliation over the past year emerged.

All of this led to the indefinite suspension of 10 Minnesota players before their Holiday Bowl against Washington State. The rest of the Gophers have since announced that they will boycott the game. You would think that the coaching staff wouldn’t stand for this, but first-year Tracy Claeys has come out in support of his players:

The President and Athletic Director have also issued a statement expressing their support over this boycott

This is a terrible look for the program, and it certainly can’t help in recruiting. On the one hand, Claeys should stick by his players, but on the other, this type of alleged behavior should be condemned. Stating that his players are “making a better world” also comes off as extremely tone deaf to an extent.

Claeys did a fantastic job in getting his team to eight wins, but part of that is because they had an easy schedule — they didn’t face Michigan or Ohio State this year. However, he still needs to earn an extension, and as such, a lot of his actions will come under scrutiny.

Next: Ranking The 30 Best Traditions In College Football

Tracy Claeys took over for Jerry Kill, who stepped down at Minnesota because he was suffering seizures. He earned a lot of praise while he was the head coach, but if he’s been letting in bad apples like this, his tenure should be put into question. You have to feel bad for Claeys that he’s had to deal with this in just his first year.