Vic Koenning is out of West Virginia football after accusations of racism.
West Virginia football parted ways with defensive coordinator Vic Koenning over racist comments.
Koenning was entering his second season as the defensive coordinator on Neal Brown’s West Virginia Mountaineers staff. They had worked previously together and had great success with the Troy Trojans in the Sun Belt previously. However, there is no excuse for The alleged racist comments and religious insensitivity he displayed at WVU, most notably to sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr.
Martin posted a lengthy message on Twitter back on June 23, outlining all the things he accused his West Virginia defensive coordinator of doing. These include conducting himself with the mentality of a “slave master,” using a derogatory slur for making a mental mistake at practice, not respecting Martin’s faith and not a firm grasp on why people are protesting, to say the least.
I’ve been contemplating about posting but we need a change in our program. pic.twitter.com/40hZYXjxib
— KERRY “KJ” MARTIN JR. 💎 (@_thekerrymartin) June 23, 2020
West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said on Wednesday via statement it was a mutual parting of ways, as it was “in the best interest of our football program.” Brown added the decision “was not made lightly and both parties agree that it places us in the best position to positively move forward.”
Vic Koenning had to go, but what’s next for West Virginia football?
Koenning had two years left on his West Virginia contract, so he’ll be paid out around $590,000 for those final two years. Brown mentioned this would be challenging for him to keep his defensive coordinator on staff. “At the end of the day, we all — Vic included — want what is best for our program,” said Brown.
Koenning had been placed on administrative leave since Martin’s comments went public nearly a month ago. He had been with Brown since 2015 while at Troy. Koenning had previously been a head coach for the Wyoming Cowboys, so the Mountaineers are losing one of their more seasoned coaches. While it’s the right call for WVU going forward, it won’t make things an easier for Brown.
In his first year leading the Mountaineers, WVU went 5-7 and didn’t go bowling. Given their rich football history, West Virginia should be challenging teams like the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns in Big 12 play and not looking up at the Baylor Bears and the Iowa State Cyclones in the standings. They need to be middle of the pack here soon.
Again, Brown won big at Troy. He beat Ed Orgeron’s LSU Tigers shortly into his tenure leading the Bayou Bengals. It might have been a huge step up for Brown to go from Troy to West Virginia, but he certainly earned that opportunity with all the success he had down in the Sun Belt. All that aside, he needs to get his team bowl eligible this fall, no matter who the defensive coordinator is.
West Virginia must now move onward and upwards with Koenning around on Brown’s staff.
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