Ed Reed vs. Bethune Cookman Saga

On December 27th, Bethune Cookman University announced Ed Reed as their head football coach. However, after a social media outburst, the Hall of Fame inductee, announced on January 21st that he will no longer be the head coach at BethuneCookman. Reed tweeted a statement that said, “After weeks of negotiations I’ve been informed that the University won’t be ratifying my contract and won’t make good on the agreement we had in principle, which had provisions and resources best needed to support the student-athletes.” Reed also added, “I was committed to coaching and cultivating a relationship with the university, players, community, and the fans. It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.” Reed held a meeting with the players and parents that lasted about 15 minutes. He shared his frustration with the university and the modifications they are not willing to make so that Reed could continue coaching for the school.

The denial of ratification of Reed’s contract came after he posted a derogatory statement towards Bethune-Cookman after he arrived and his office was not cleaned properly. Reed would later go on to apologize for the profanity he used in the post, but Bethune-Cookman would go on to release its own statement regarding the matter and decided to not proceed with contract negotiations.

“While we appreciate the initial interest in our football program displayed by Mr. Reed during the course of recent weeks, we are also mindful of the qualities and attributes that must be exhibited by our institutional personnel during what has been uniquely challenging times for our campus as we recover from the impact of two hurricanes during this past fall semester,” in a statement issued by the school.

This came as a shocker to most people in the African-American community after the success that

Deion Sanders had with Jackson State this past fall. Many were hoping that Ed Reed would continue the uprising of HBCUs, but this time it did not work out in his favor. However, there is a mixed bag of opinions on this situation not all details have been released. One act doesn’t define a person, so I can’t say Ed Reed is a bad person. Sanders showed sympathy and love to Ed who was his teammate in Baltimore at one point in their respective careers. “I know you do not want to leave those kids,” Sanders said towards Reed. “Sometimes in life, you got to walk away.” would round out the score, giving the Lady Jaguars their best game on the weekend.

With the championship in hand, coach Doyle let the seniors finish off the tournament against Florida A&M. The Rattlers would come out on top 946-849. Quinney would lead the Lady Jaguars with a 213. She would be followed by Wilson with a 177, Ugas at 174 and Coward with a 171.

“The Ladies performed well as a team all weekend,” Doyle said. We took the lead on the first day and never looked back. I can not say enough about the team effort, perseverance and the will to win. We completed a couple goals with the regular season title and a first round by in the tournament. SWAC tournament championship is next.”

Individually, Rogers finished second overall with a 5,399 for 27 games, giving her a 199.96 average. Coward finished inside the top 10 with a 5,044 for 26 games, a 194 average. Quinney would finish just outside the top 10 with a 5,230 for 28 games, giving her a 186.79 average for the SWAC competition.

UP NEXT Southern will travel to Dallas on February 10 for the Lady Techsters Invitational and USA Bowl.