Kyle Flood responded to a report that Rutgers is investigating the head football coach for a potential rules violation, saying the report insulted his integrity.
According to a report from NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant, the university athletics compliance department is investigating Flood for an email he sent to a faculty member regarding the academic status of a player who could be in danger of becoming academically ineligible. Depending on the content of the email, Flood's punishment could be severe, including suspension or even firing.
[MORE BIG TEN: Report: Rutgers investigating Kyle Flood over potential rules violation]
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Flood responded with a statement to reporters, his quotes published by NJ Advance Media.
"Let me start by saying I'm disappointed at the tone of the article that (associate athletic director for media relations/football) Hasim (Phillips) showed me this morning. I've been the head coach now, this is going into my fourth season, and I've had a lot of interaction with the teachers on our campus. I think that that article not only insults my integrity, but insults the integrity of our faculty. I've come to realize that our faculty here at Rutgers is beyond reproach and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them.
"Our faculty are part of our program. Just as recently as the other day, we had two faculty members at our practice. Now, any correspondence that I had with a professor in regard to a student-athlete would really be of this nature: One, to be in support of whatever decision that faculty member made, and two, to inquire as to whether or not there would be an opportunity to earn a better grade. Now, this practice is not unusual at Rutgers. Many students all over campus receive what are called 'T grades' doing work outside of when the class ends that semester to earn a better grade."