A little under a month ago, Bethune Cookman made headlines when they hired Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed to be their head coach. Ed Reed was a nine-time Pro-Bowler and was selected to the First-Team All Pro 5 times. He was also selected as part of the NFL’s 100th anniversary team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Nearly one month later, Ed Reed is now out of a job. The university has refused to officially approve Ed Reed’s contract and will not abide by the deal that was made in principle.
This has all stemmed from a very emotional video made by Ed Reed on Instagram Live in which he brought attention to the subpar conditions at Bethune Cookman. During his IG live, he pointed out the horrible field conditions on the school’s track and intramural fields. He also brought attention to some of the university’s abandoned buildings and the trash that those buildings possessed. He also claimed that the university didn’t clean the office he would be working out of.
It definitely appears that Ed Reed’s job was lost as a result of the increased public scrutiny. Based on what has transpired, there are arguments to be made on both sides as to whether this was the necessary move. In this piece, we will weigh the pros and cons of Bethune Cookman’s decision.
FROM A BETHUNE COOKMAN PERSPECTIVE
There is no doubt that Ed Reed’s heart was in the right place when he made this video. Given that this was an HBCU, it was obviously hurtful and shocking to him as a black male. However, there is a right way and wrong way to do things. Given that he signed an agreement in principle to be an employee at the university, it is not the greatest idea to do a video exposing the weakness and ills of your future employer while in the midst of signing the contract.
A better idea would have been for him to have kept this discussion under wraps as much as possible until the contract was done. After all, it is clear that Ed Reed had a vision for the football team as well as the university. Reportedly, Bethune Cookman had talks with over 20+ recruits that were ready to commit to the university.
However, he exposed the horrible conditions of the university before the contract was completed. In the video, he also stated in frustration that “I should leave right now” and referred to his new employers using expletives. This is not the wisest thing to do in the midst of negotiations even if it was justifiable.
From a legal and PR standpoint, I felt it may have put the university in a position where they couldn’t continue to go forward with this potential relationship even if they wanted to.
ED’S SIDE OF THINGS
Overall, the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to Bethune Cookman’s decision. The decision to nix the agreement made in principle with Ed Reed sends a terrible message to Bethune Cookman’s football team as well as the student body. Ed Reed’s video brought attention to an issue that clearly needed to be addressed. The university’s decision to part ways with Ed Reed is a clear sign that they prioritize public perception of the university over the maintenance of its facilities.
This decision has created unrest in the student body. As a result, the Bethune Cookman student body has planned to stage a protest on behalf of Ed Reed.
In spite of the fact that Ed Reed’s hasty decision to post the video, the fact remains that the university and its football program stood to benefit tremendously from the hiring of Ed Reed. Bethune-Cookman was on the verge of getting a bunch of prized recruits because of Reed’s hiring. There is no doubt that Bethune Cookman’s football team would have improved from its woeful 2-9 record that it had last year.
According to former NFL great Edgerrin James, the university also was going to receive a great deal of financial help in order to build new facilities for Bethune Cookman. Ed Reed had solicited help from Shaquille O’Neal as well as some billionaires in order to provide new facilities for Bethune-Cookman.
The opportunity cost of not making Ed Reed’s contract official is too great for this to be a positive outcome overall.
STUDENTS WANT ED BACK!
A number of Bethune-Cookman football players launched a petition in an effort to reinstate Ed Reed as head coach of the program after Reed revealed on Saturday that the school chose not to ratify his contract. Branden McDonald, a Wildcats running back, posted a photo on Twitter which showed more than 20 players that had signed the petition deeming Reed’s dismissal as “unjust”.
“We firmly believe that the abrupt dismissal of our newly hired head coach Ed Reed is unjust not only to the student-athletes but to the entire BCU family, community and doesn’t align with our founders legacy,” the players said in a statement on the petition.”
“We would like to respectfully and firmly request his immediate reinstatement. We were witnessed to tremendous growth and a new direction in a short period of time.”
Whatever your stance on the situation it appears things may not be over and Bethune trying to sweep things under the rug quickly may have just backfired.
