In five seasons as head coach at Bethune-Cookman, Brian Jenkins was a wildly successful head coach. Under Jenkins, Bethune-Cookman finished with at least a share of the MEAC in four out of five seasons, and finished in second place the other. Bethune-Cookman made three playoff appearances in the FCS playoffs under Jenkins, but it is being reported that success did not come without cutting some corners and breaking some NCA rules.
A report by the Montgomery Advertiser says Jenkins is accused of a number of severe NCAA violations during his time at Bethune-Cookman. The report is based off anonymous sources but labels the sources of information as more than a dozen former players and four former coaches at Bethune-Cookman. The allegations made include improper benefits, bullying and violations of practice time limits. Per the Montgomery Advertiser report;With one exception, they independently provided nearly identical details of rules violations and what they felt was Jenkins’ mistreatment of players.
Allegations against Jenkins and his program include:
•Improper benefits provided to players;
•Improper housing arrangements;
•Continued and extensive violations of the NCAA weekly practice time limits;
•Failure to pay three assistant coaches that resulted in a federal lawsuit;
•And, bullying of staff and players with retaliation against those who spoke up.
Bethune-Cookman reportedly conducted an internal investigation, although it is unclear what information, if any, had been reported to the NCAA. Alabama State, which hired Jenkins in December, was aware of the investigation and any allegations filed to the NCAA for review.
“I talked with Coach Jenkins about those issues, and he was very up front with me about everything,” Alabama State Interim Athletic Director Melvin Hines said to Montgomery Advertiser. “My view on that is that it’s all personnel matters from his previous workplace and this is a fresh start. (The trustees and I) have discussed those issues, and I made them aware of potentially what could be out there.”
The report goes on to provide some more detailed information about some of the incidents reported. In one, Jenkins was accused of threatening two players during a pregame meal with a steak knife after a player laughed at another dropping a drink. This was considered a noise violation for a pregame meal which prohibits any talking. The incident led to one player, linebacker Rahdeese Alcutt, leaving the team.
Another former Bethune-Cookman player, offensive lineman Blake Pritchard, says the team was practicing between 26 and 28 hours per week. The NCAA limit is 20 hours per week. You can see more of the details regarding potential violations at Bethune-Cookman here. There is no update on any NCAA findings at this point, so the impact on Bethune-Cookman and Jenkins is tough to predict at this stage of the story.
