South Florida Sun-Sentinel Palm Beach (Sunday)
Reed deal to become coach falls through
DAYTONA BEACH — Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed won’t be the next football coach at Bethune-Cookman.
The Ed Reed Foundation announced on social media Saturday that the university declined to ratify Reed’s 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.”
The decision comes less than a week after Reed ripped the school in a profanity-laced social media post that went viral. He accused Bethune-Cookman of having a dirty campus and failing to clean his office before he arrived. He threatened to leave then, saying he was having to “clear out trash” while not even being under contract.
Reed apologized the following day for “my lack of professionalism.”
“My language and tone were unacceptable as a father, coach and leader,” he wrote in a social media post. “My passion for our culture, betterment and bringing our foundation up got the best of me and I fell victim while engaging with antagonists on social media as well.”
Now, Reed and the Wildcats are parting ways before they really even got started.
“I was committed to coaching and cultivating a relationships with the University, Players, Community and the Fans,” the statement said Saturday. “It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.”
Reed’s foundation affirmed its commitment to helping kids and “changing lives for the better, as we’ve done for 20 years.”
Reed played at Miami and spent the past three years in an administrative role with the Hurricanes, first as chief of staff under former coach Manny Diaz for two years and this past year as a senior advisor under coach Mario Cristobal.
Reed had been picked to replace Terry Sims at Bethune-Cookman. Sims was fired after going 38-39 in seven seasons at the historically Black university, and when the school made that move, Wildcats athletic director Reggie Theus — the longtime NBA player — said he would be looking to hire someone who can “ensure that we not only build a championship culture on the field, but also aspire to academic excellence and career achievement off the field.”
Reed was a five-time All-Pro safety, a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and made nine Pro Bowls. He had 64 career interceptions, led the league in that stat three times and scored 13 non-offense touchdowns in his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
At Miami, Reed was part of the Hurricanes’ most recent national title team in 2001. He set school records for career interceptions (21) and interception return yards (369), won a Big East championship in javelin in 1999 and graduated with a degree in liberal arts.