Does Kirk Ferentz need to retire to fix Iowa football’s broken culture?
Iowa football is in need of a big change.
Over the weekend, the Hawkeyes football program had its deep, dark secrets revealed to the world. Black players have known what’s gone on there for a long time. With the leadership of former offensive line standout James Daniels, these racially-fueled and unacceptable behaviors emanating from the strength and conditioning program will not be tolerated any longer.
Many former Iowa players and teammates of Daniels’ responded to his tweet sent out Friday evening, including Anthony Gair, Maurice Fleming, Akrum Wadley, Terrance Pryor, Jaleel Johnson, Cedric Boswell, Amani Hooker and Emmanuel Rugamba. All of these players either responded to Daniels’ tweet or gave him permission to share their message as a part of the Twitter thread.
Each of them has a story to tell, but systemic racism and insensitive comments from strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle are a common thread here. Doyle is the highest-paid strength and conditioning coach in the country. He has been at the University of Iowa for 22 years, the entirety of head coach Kirk Ferentz’s tenure as the face of the football program since 1999.
On Saturday, Ferentz sat down to deliver a video message on the changes being made to Iowa’s broken football culture. From the football team’s official Twitter account, it was deemed “a defining moment for the Iowa Hawkeye Football program.” It was followed up with a transcription of the video message. The question remains is this even enough? Will Ferentz have to retire now?
Will Kirk Ferentz now have to retire because of Iowa’s culture problem?
Doyle refuted his claims of racism on Sunday, but it’s his word vs. those of the dozens of black student-athletes who have been a part of Iowa’s strength and condition program for the last two-plus decades. With him being placed on administrative leave over the weekend, it feels like Doyle is as good as gone from Iowa City. Could this end up being the end of the line for Ferentz as well?
Ferentz is the longest tenure head coach at the FBS level. He took over for the late iconic Hayden Fry in 1999. Ferentz has won 174 games at Iowa, nine bowl games and two Big Ten Championships. Iowa has been a pro football factory for offensive line talent. In his mid-60s, Ferentz was well on his way to being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
His PSA over the weekend was a necessary step, but you could help but feel Ferentz had egg all over his face, as he knew what kind of program Doyle was running in the weight room. He may be the longest-tenured head coach in major college football, but he can’t plead hopeless ignorance like Joe Paterno did when Jerry Sandusky was on his coaching staff at Penn State.
And it’s not just black players who have a problem with Doyle and the Iowa football culture at large. Perhaps the most notable Iowa alum in the NFL today in San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle spoke his mind on the issues at hand at his alma mater. Kittle quote tweeted Ferentz’s video message with the support of his former teammates at Iowa City.
Though it is not in the vein of racial inequality, former Iowa football player Jack Kallenberger’s story of how Doyle bullied him over his learning disabilities and perceived lack of intelligence is just downright sad. Being called “Simple Jack” and being considered too dumb to read a book led to him giving up on his football career at Iowa. Kallenberger’s ADHD was swept under the rug.
As one of Fry’s greatest disciples, one would expect a coach like Ferentz to employ some of the mental toughness tactics that helped turn a former Big Ten doormat into a winner in the 1980s and 1990s under Fry. This is the school that famously painted the visiting football team’s locker room pink for intimidating and emasculating purposes after all. Are we really all that shocked?
While this brand of perceived toughness seemed to have worked wonders in Iowa City for decades, times have changed and you just can’t do that kind of stuff anymore. As they say, adapt or die.
Ferentz may be in favor of change, and that would be welcomed. However, he clearly allowed a culture of bullying and systematic racism to continue for decades, turning a blind eye to whatever the hell Doyle was doing in the weight room with his strength and conditioning program.
For Doyle to be the most compensated man in his trade and to have this type of crap go on says all you need to know about Iowa’s football culture and what it prioritizes.
Maybe it’s time for the board of regents to look for a new head football coach too?
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