Rutgers Fires Rice After He Verbally and Physically Abused Basketball Players (VIDEO)
After a fierce public outcry, Rutgers fired men's basketball coach Mike Rice. The decision came after a video was released that showed him physically and verbally abusing his players during practices late last year.
News of the video spread after it aired on ESPN on Tuesday, but when asked this week about the video, Rutgers officials revealed they had already seen the video. The short video shows head coach Mike Rice pushing, kicking and throwing basketballs at his players during practice.
There were calls that Rice should not have been able to keep his job after his abusive behavior was first reported.
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"I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice,'' Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti said in a statement.
"Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community," he added.
The video was a culmination of several practices taking place late last year. The tape contains several instances of Rice hitting players with basketballs in the back, legs, and chest as well as cursing and shouting various slurs at the players.
When school officials got wind of his behavior last December, Rutgers fined Rice $50,000 and suspended him for three games. Now that the video has become public knowledge, many in the state of New Jersey are wondering why Rice was still able to coach at the university.
"Governor Christie saw the video today for the first time and he is obviously deeply disturbed by the conduct displayed and strongly condemns this behavior," the governor's spokesman Michael Drewniak said in a statement.
"It's not the type of leadership we should be showing our young people and clearly there are questions about this behavior that need to be answered by the leaders at Rutgers University," he added.
Rutgers University will now conduct a nationwide search for a new basketball coach for next season.
