fbpx

Roland Martin Interviews Bethune-Cookman President, Ed Reed And Students

Roland Martin Interviews Bethune-Cookman President, Ed Reed And Students

Bethune

Roland Martin, Ed Reed and Bethune-Cookman University Interim President Dr. Lawrence Drake II. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) (Photo by Joy Asico/Invision for NFL/AP Images) (Courtesy of Bethune Cookman University)

The saga at Bethune-Cookman University concerning its decision not to ratify the contract of Ed Reed as its next head football coach continues to unfold. On Monday, Jan. 23, B-CU students protested Reed’s firing, unsanitary living conditions and other issues they say they’ve been having at the school. They called for the removal of the current Board of Trustees.

B-CU football players also signed a petition calling for Bethune to reinstate Reed as head football coach. Veteran journalist Roland Martin has been providing extensive coverage of the situation as it unfolds on his Black Star Network.

Martin interviewed Bethune Cookman’s interim president, Dr. Lawrence Drake, Reed, and some student-athletes during a two-hour news segment. Martin also offered to bring his crew to the Daytona, Florida-based campus for a town hall meeting in early February to provide a platform for all stakeholders to hash out their issues.

Drake told Martin it was his decision not to proceed with signing Reed’s contract because, after further observation, he didn’t think Reed was the right fit for the university.

He added it was important for Reed to exemplify Bethune’s Christian values, be able to work with other staffers with more coaching experience to build out the program and not overstep on things he wasn’t authorized to do.

“It was my decision,” Drake said. “When we saw the first video criticizing the university and saying, ‘It’s trashy and my office is dirty,’ well, first of all, he wasn’t an employee of the university, and he had not an office. … We had given him some permission that he really took to the next level.”

Drake said Reed’s behavior did not meet their expectations, including his use of “expletives” and explicit music in the background of one of his videos posted to social media that disrespected women.

“I think the final straw was actually the third or fourth video, one with the background music being booties, butts and boobs and ho*s. Sixty-five percent of our campus is female and … we’re trying to build young men to respect Black women,” Drake said.

In addition to Reed’s posts, Drake said getting a call from Disney – one of Bethune-Cookman’s biggest sponsors for the Florida Classic – asking what they would do after Reed posted his videos factored into his decision to part ways with Reed.

“We’re trying to teach the students what Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune stood for,” Drake said. “We just felt at this point, it wasn’t a good fit for Ed and I, or Ed and the university, to agree on what kind of conditions he would have to come to and help us create and help us grow. He wasn’t in agreement with that. He felt that he needed to say his piece and call attention to the challenges as opposed to the opportunities.”

It’s a position Drake reiterated in a statement about the controversy after students began protesting. “To close the chapter on Mr. Reed, he was a tremendous player. Still, as we continued to observe him, we felt that his behavior was not aligned with the traditions of our founder, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and the university,” Drake wrote.

Reed and some D-CU students told a different story. The former Baltimore Raven and nine-time Pro-Bowler said Monday was the first time he’d been able to relax since he got to Daytona.

“I’ve been in Daytona for three straight weeks recruiting kids. I have three kids … they’re in school. They’re already in school because they believed in me; their parents believed in me,” Reed said, getting visibly emotional.

“There’s 30 kids that was here on Friday [that] I was with when I got the phone call that they did not want me here and I still gave $2,400 out of my own pocket for these young me to go host these kids; and I didn’t tell the parents until Saturday morning,” Reed continued.

According to Reed, Bethune-Cookman’s athletic director, Reggie Theus, reached out to his assistant and told him to withdraw his name from the coaching pool. “He wanted me to say this. I have the email. I’m not here for nothing but these kids. You want me to say that I’m withdrawing my name so you can save yourselves,” Reed said. 

“I apologized for the unprofessionalism,” Reed added. “I’m not here to bash this university. I know what Dr. McLeod [Bethune] has built. I’ve been researching it since they called me. I saw all the things that were going on. I have the tapes. … I’m not here to bash Bethune-Cookman. I was still trying to get back to the job today.”

Reed then challenged Martin to ask the students directly because he said Bethune was dishonest about how things went down.

“This ain’t right for Dr. Drake to come on and talk about me in that way. I knew this was a Christian school. I knew that. I’m a Christian,” Reed continued. “Don’t interview me; interview them kids. Interview the team. Interview these young women and men. … I got a 14-year-old son who I’ve been missing his stuff for three weeks. I’m tired man, this is exhausting, man. They lying on me man. Why lie on me, man, to save your face, man, because you’re doing something wrong?”

Known for his high standards, commitment to cleanliness and integrity, Reed said he is mainly hurt because he doesn’t want to abandon the students at Bethune – particularly the ones he recruited.

“I cry for them kids, man. I hurt for them kids because it’s wrong. I got eight kids that committed the week before. These kids calling me, their parents calling me. What we gon’ do? I can’t get these kids in no school. I can’t have these kids uncommit and go somewhere else,” Reed said. “You’re telling me I’m withdrawing? No, I’m not withdrawing. I still want to coach here and coach these kids after all this going on.”

Martin was already slated to interview some students before Reed suggested he do so. Three football players who spoke to the “Unfiltered” host sided with Reed. They told Martin they had no practice facilities on campus and were sharing moldy helmets, equipment and attire.

“Coach Reed in three weeks has essentially done more than this entire administration and other program leads, like other head coaching staff … than they have in the past five years,” one of the players told Martin. “We don’t have showers. We don’t have a locker room. We have to watch out where we put our stuff in the stadium locker room, so it doesn’t get wet and then get moldy and then we gotta practice in moldy stuff. … We share those moldy helmets too and that gear.”

The students also called cap on Drake’s statements about being very engaged with the students.

“If he wants to really talk about how he comes onto campus and he understands students, and he gets mad at Coach Reed for music, understand we play that on campus every day. People dress very, very [skimpy],” the players continued.  

ORIGINAL PHOTOS:

Roland Martin poses at the premiere of the documentary film “Sidney,” Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Former NFL player Ed Reed, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame class of 2019, attends the 8th Annual NFL Honors at The Fox Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, in Atlanta. (Photo by Joy Asico/Invision for NFL/AP Images)

Bethune-Cookman University Campus and Interim President Dr. Lawrence Drake II.