Ed Reed, B-CU & Celebrity Head Coaches at HBCUs

Since Coach Deion Sanders left Jackson State University to coach at the University of Colorado a lot of attention has been brought to former NFL stars coming to coach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Ed Reed replaced as the head coach of Bethune-Cookman University before even coaching his first game was no different. 

On Thursday,  Feb. 9, Bethune-Cookman (B-CU) held an official press conference to announce the hire of B-CU alum Raymond Woodie Jr., as their new head coach. Less than two months ago, it was announced that Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed was in line to be assigned that same position. The announcement was a shock when B-CU tweeted it on their official athletics page. 

“More information will be forthcoming,” said B-CU Athletics in regard to the announcement. In regards to Reed’s hire, things were quiet from both parties until Jan. 12, when Youtube’s Media One Sports. announced that contract negotiations had progressed; and BCU was set to hold an official press conference to formally welcome Reed as head coach of the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats. BCU was set to hold an official press conference on Jan. 12 to welcome Reed as the head coach of the program; however, less than three days later, he took to Instagram Live to air some of his grievances with the state of the school upon arrival. 

He threatened to leave before his contract was ratified, stating that there were “backward mentalities” when it came to the administration at HBCUs. By Jan. 21, BC-U decided they will not be moving forward with Reed as the new head coach of their football program. 

 Bethune-Cookman Athletics Department Statement.

Some of the issues that Reed broadcasted on Live have similarly affected students here at Howard University. For instance, some students were living in rooms with mold, a hurdle that a few residents of Howard Plaza Towers East reportedly had to overcome during the 2021-22 school year. 

There have even been claims from former students about poor administration at the university. Khayla Jennings –  who transferred from Bethune-Cookman and recently graduated from Florida International University (FIU) – shared her experience with the living conditions and administrative environment throughout her time as a Wildcat. 

“… the living conditions were really awful, there was mold in the bathroom and actual dorm rooms,” said Jennings. “I do feel like a lot of it is administrative. There is so much that wasn’t taken care of on the administrative end that would have made my experience a whole lot different and a lot of other students as well.”

Fifth-year football player Austin Yankowy was suspended from B-CU’s football team for speaking to Reed via Instagram Live about some of these issues after meeting with the university’s Athletic Director and President. They claimed he failed to have discretion. After speaking with Yankowy about his suspension and the state of both B-CU as a campus and its football program, this is what he had to say. 

“[Some of] these issues occurred before the hurricane… last summer, one of our kids ran so much [that] he went into shock from kidney damage–and he wasn’t the only one who suffered from kidney issues. We didn’t have Gatorade for summer camp and there were at least two games where we had equipment issues and had to share helmets.”

Students protested Reed’s firing, despite the fact that he technically had not officially been hired yet. Some stated he did more in a few weeks than the people in power who have been in that position for years. The outrage was to no avail. 

101 Magazine reached out to Ed Reed and the Ed Reed Foundation for comment but they did not reply in time for publication.

The Ed Reed x B-CU drama is not that far removed from the wake of Deion Sanders’ departure from Jackson State University. After two and a half successful seasons with the Tigers, people questioned ‘Coach Prime’’s true motives during his time coaching at an HBCU.

When Coach Prime came to Jackson, he spoke a lot about why HBCUs shouldn’t be considered “less than”. He was able to flip the recruitment of five-star cornerback Travis Hunter from Sanders’ alma mater Florida State to JSU and had one of the best recruiting classes in 2021-22. He said coming to JSU was his calling, but after only 2.5 years at Jackson State, he took the job at Colorado. Even after being the head coach at another school and having no further ties with HBCUs, Sanders took it upon himself to hop on Instagram Live with Reed to co-sign a lot of Reed’s complaints. “I told you,” was a constant quote that Sanders was using during said Live. 

After the public murder of George Floyd, there was this initiative taken by some very notable former NFL players and coaches to “give back” to HBCUs. In the years following, we saw a lot of big names become or attempt to become head coaches at HBCUs – from Sanders and Reed to Eddie George and Hue Jackson. 

Eddie George, a two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, is going into his third season as the head coach of Tennessee State. Hailing from a PWI, he employs a unique mindset when it comes to coaching at an HBCU. 

While guest starring on Pro Football Hall of Famer and HBCU alum Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, “Club Shay-Shay”, he commented on the coaching situations and HBCU culture. “Things are different at HBCUs. The value system is different, everything about the experience is different from a Power 5 institution,” said George. “Some things are great and some things need to be updated…Tennessee State has its own issues, but there are other HBCUs that are doing things right.”