Hall of Famer Ed Reed voiced his displeasure with how negotiations panned out between him and the Bethune-Cookman football program.
Reed was tapped to be the Wildcats’ next head football coach on Dec. 27, but the former NFL defensive back revealed Saturday that the university decided against ratifying his contract.
But earlier this week, Reed shared that two other HBCU football programs offered him coaching jobs amid his issues with BCU.
During an appearance Monday on the “Roland Martin Unfiltered” show, Reed was asked if other HBCU programs had contacted him about head coaching opportunities. The 44-year-old responded by revealing that he declined an offer from Jackson State.
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“I turned down the Jackson State job to be here, Roland,” Reed said. “Prime called me. Deion Sanders called me himself, man.”
If Reed’s statement is true, it calls into question Sanders’ and Jackson State’s public announcement that the Tigers next head coach would be T.C. Taylor. Taylor served as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach under Sanders at Jackson State.
“My recommendation goes to T.C. (Taylor); they know how I feel about T.C.,” Sanders said after the Tigers’ win over Southern in the SWAC title game, while sitting alongside JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson.
“I want T.C. and several of the staff members are going to be retained here. But, that is mine – I would love for someone in-house because I don’t really know how to act if someone outside the house coming in to understand how we function. And how we get down. That is my recommendation, so let’s clap it up for T.C.”
Sanders coached his final game at Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl in December. He was later formally named the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes football program.
A representative for Reed was with him during the appearance and explained that the Baltimore Ravens legend did receive other offers, at which point Reed interrupted and mentioned the Grambling State football program.
Reed came under fire in recent weeks after he posted a video complaining about the conditions of the campus and lack of cleanliness in his office. During an Instagram Live, Reed commented on the amount of trash he saw on the grounds.
“I’m walking out here with the football team picking up trash. I should leave, I’m not even under contract yet!” he was heard saying in the clip.
A handful of Bethune-Cookman football players have started a petition seeking to reinstate Reed as their head coach.
“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.
BCU’s previous head coach, Terry Sims, was relieved of his duties in late November after going 2-9 in back-to-back seasons.
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