Rutgers University has fired head basketball coach Mike Rice after ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” posted exclusive video footage of him verbally and physically abusing his players.
On the footage, Rice can be seen “hurling basketballs from close range at his players’ heads, legs and feet; shoving and grabbing his players; feigning punching them; kicking them; and screaming obscenities and homophobic slurs,” the network reported.
Among other names, the 44-year-old coach calls his players “faggots,” “motherfuckers,” “sissy bitches” and “cunts.”
Take a look …
(Click to play)
Yikes …
Obviously we’re not going to jump down somebody’s throat for being tough on their players (especially without context), but there’s never any excuse for physically abusing a student-athlete. That’s an automatic “see ya” in our opinion.
Amazingly, though, that didn’t happen in this case. In fact was suspended last year and fined $50,000 after Rutgers athletics director Tim Pernetti viewed the video footage – which was not released at the time. Pernitti is now in the hot seat for failing to fire Rice on the spot.
For those of you keeping score at home, Rice posted a 44-51 record in three seasons at Rutgers, including an abysmal 16-38 record against Big East opponents. The Scarlet Knights never made it to the NCAA Tournament under Rice.
Prior to coming to Rutgers in 2010, Rice was viewed as one of the country’s top young coaches – leading George Mason to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2009 and 2010.
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18 comments
It is obvious his style at Rutgers got results.
It is obvious his style at Rutgers got results.
I think he coached at Robert Morris prior to Rutgers.
I think he coached at Robert Morris prior to Rutgers.
Most basketbll coches are WAY overrated.Actually,they are a dime a dozen.Find some guy coaching a high school team in Davenport,Iowa,.Hes just as likely to do as good a job as some fellow who got lucky at some small college and all the sports mavens have gone goo goo over.
Most basketbll coches are WAY overrated.Actually,they are a dime a dozen.Find some guy coaching a high school team in Davenport,Iowa,.Hes just as likely to do as good a job as some fellow who got lucky at some small college and all the sports mavens have gone goo goo over.
Pretty sure he never coached at GMU. Those were the Larranaga days, if I’m not mistaken.
Pretty sure he never coached at GMU. Those were the Larranaga days, if I’m not mistaken.
It is the job of opposing fans to call his players faggots, not him.
Ha! Great line.
The difference between him and Knight is that Knight was actually successful most of the time.
It is the job of opposing fans to call his players faggots, not him.
Ha! Great line.
The difference between him and Knight is that Knight was actually successful most of the time.
I like the rugged foul mouthed type. yyyyyuuuuummmmmmm
I like the rugged foul mouthed type. yyyyyuuuuummmmmmm
It’s too bad one of the players he manhandled didn’t give him an elbow in the kisser!
It’s too bad one of the players he manhandled didn’t give him an elbow in the kisser!
They asked one his players if he was “hurt” by being called a motherfucker. The playere responded that he never though much of it since that what his mamma called him all the time.
They asked one his players if he was “hurt” by being called a motherfucker. The playere responded that he never though much of it since that what his mamma called him all the time.