A longtime member of the Iowa football staff has broken his silence.
Saturday, Iowa announced that longtime strength & conditioning coach Chris Doyle has been placed on administrative leave. Additionally, an independent review will be conducted into allegations that Doyle directly contributed to “racial disparities in the Iowa football program.”
The development came after former Hawkeye football players took to social media en masse in the past couple of days to accuse Doyle of creating a hostile environment. Specifically, as it pertained to black Iowa football players. One former player spoke of Doyle mocking black football players that “made you walk around the football facility on eggshells … and caused anxiety that could be unbearable at times with your dreams and career on the line.”
“There are too many racial disparities in the Iowa football program,” former starting offensive lineman James Daniels wrote in a tweet. “Black players have been treated unfairly for far too long.”
Sunday evening, Doyle issued a statement of his own.For 21 years, I have committed myself to Iowa Football and loved with all my heart, every single one of the young men I’ve gotten to work with and every minute we have spent together in the weight room, on the field and as friends and fellow Hawkeyes. I can only imagine how much courage it took for them to speak out on these serious matters. I am proud of them.
My job has been to give feedback to our players for 21 years and now I’m receiving feedback myself. I can take it and won’t hide from it. It saddens me to hear the stories of their difficult experiences while in our program, in addition to the outpouring of stories we are hearing across the country.
It is time to listen, learn and grow. Most importantly, it is a time for action.
I have been asked to remain silent, but that is impossible for me to do. There have been statements made about my behavior that are not true. I do no it claim to be perfect. I have made mistakes, learned lessons and like every American citizen, can do better. At no time have I ever crossed the line of unethical behavior or bias based upon race. I do not make racist comments and I do not tolerate people who do. I am confident that a complete review of the body of work over 21 years will speak for itself and I am trusting the process to respect the rights and experiences of all parties involved. There are countless men of character who are better fathers, husbands, activists, leaders and contributors top society due to their experience at Iowa Football. The record will show this.Doyle has been the strength coach at Iowa since 1999. Last year, he was the highest-paid at his position in the country.
