College Football World Reacts To The Kirk Ferentz News
In 2020, Kirk Ferentz helped create a committee that would attempt to improve the culture of the Iowa football program following troubling allegations by former players.
Iowa’s former strength coach, Chris Doyle, was accused of making racist remarks. Ferentz was accused of improperly handling national anthem kneeling decisions.
Roughly a year and a half after the committee was created, though, it has been dissolved by the team’s head coach.
“I have come to a decision that this is an appropriate time to dissolve our committee as it stands currently,” Ferentz wrote in a Tuesday email, per a report from The Gazette. “As we start a new calendar year and prepare to move forward with our preparation for the 2022 season, I am giving thought to how we restructure the committee/board in a way that best serves our program moving forward.”
Kirk Ferentz has dissolved the committee created in 2020 to improve the program’s culture.
It comes after a contentious meeting during the bye week and the chair’s suggestion that Ferentz and AD Gary Barta retire.
Via @VanessaMiller12 and me: https://t.co/5rQJ9DQ9JL
— John Steppe (@JSteppe1) January 16, 2022
According to the report, the committee had suggested that Ferentz be removed as the Hawkeyes’ head coach.
Ferentz’s decision to dissolve the group came after a contentious meeting Oct. 18 and after committee chair David Porter, former Hawkeye offensive lineman, suggested to the group in a chain of text message Jan. 2 that it’s time to “bring in a new head football coach, football staff, and athletic director.”
In the chain of messages, Porter said Ferentz is “loyal to a fault” and will “fall on the sword for his son and his staff because he thinks it’s the right thing to do. I disagree.”
“The only way I see to save his legacy, protect the program, help those kids, and continue to move forward at the same time is for Kirk to retire,” he wrote.
College football fans have taken to social media to react to the news.
“With everything that’s happened at Iowa recently, this is a bad look,” one fan tweeted.
“In advance of Iowa fans rallying around Kirk later today, let’s be absolutely clear. They care MUCH more about going 10-2 (and then getting embarrassed to end their season) than they do about the welfare of the kids playing the games,” another fan suggested.
“Never getting that dude out of there, ever,” another fan added.
Earlier this week, Iowa announced a contract extension for the head coach.
News: Iowa announced a contract extension for head football coach Kirk Ferentz through the 2029 season.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) January 14, 2022
Ferentz, 66, has been Iowa’s head coach since 1999.
The post College Football World Reacts To The Kirk Ferentz News appeared first on The Spun.
