Mid-Monday morning, it was announced by the athletic department that longtime strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle and the University of Iowa had reached a “separation agreement” and that Doyle was no longer with the program.

Part of the agreement above included a severance payment of $1.1 million and continued health insurance over the next 15 months as Doyle was still under contract at the time of his resignation.

The announcement of Doyle’s departure came a mere few hours before Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta was set to speak to the media at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Monday afternoon.

Barta started off Monday’s press conference with the news that Hush-Blackwell of Kansas City was leading the investigation of the Iowa football program and that the investigation will take “weeks, not months.” There is no hard date set for the announcement of the findings.

The main topic of Barta’s statements were the issues with the football program, which included an apology to anyone who fell victim to the culture of racism within Iowa athletics and had a less-than great experience at Iowa.

“One of the things I want to do, and it’s really important to me, is to say I’m sorry,” Barta said. “To any former student-athletes, coaches, staff, current student-athletes, anybody who has had a negative experience with Iowa football.”

Barta then referenced that discrepancy in the graduation rate of African-American student-athletes and white student-athletes, that was discovered in 2018. Barta then created a task force to investigate the issues with the program.

In both the wider context of the United States and the events and dialogue within the Iowa football program, Barta stated that the changes the program made following the task force were not enough and were not happening at a fast-enough pace.

When talking about conversations had with student-athletes, the Iowa Athletic Director of 14 years took a few moments to gather his composure. A sign of regret and sheer pain that something of this nature happened under his oversight. These few moments spoke of the weight on Barta’s shoulders, of remorse for the culture of racism that was allowed to grow under his leadership.

“As we go forward, we are committed to change and improvement. I promise you we will make mistakes, and when we do, we’ll correct them,” Barta said. “I can tell you they won’t be perfect, there’s always going to be differing opinions on what we should do. Change is going to take time.”

One of the notable changes included the hiring of former Iowa defensive lineman Broderick Binns as the overseer of Iowa’s diversity task force.

The topic of the conversation then turned to Kirk Ferentz and what he has done to improve the culture within the program he’s built for 21 years. Barta still believes that Ferentz is the man for the job.

“I do remain confident that Kirk Ferentz can lead this team going forward and many of the attributes are still there,” Barta said. “The foundation is still sound, but we need to rebuild trust.”

One of the biggest questions for Barta was the handling of allegations against offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, as nepotism laws prevent Brian from reporting to his father, reporting to Barta himself instead. Barta said he’d pay more attention to the findings of the investigation more than social media accusations.

“I don’t know everything that’s been said about Chris Doyle, or about Brian Ferentz. I’ve heard Seth Wallace’s name mentioned, I’m sure Kirk has been mentioned, I’m sure I’ve been mentioned,” Barta said. “I’m comfortable now waiting for that review.”

Barta also said that his comfort in waiting for the review is also what helped him decide to come to terms of separation with Chris Doyle, rather than waiting for the investigation to conclude.

For a brief moment, the conversation turned to the COVID-19 pandemic, as Barta announced the players, coaches and staff have been asked to sign a pledge to help take personal responsibility. As of Monday afternoon, 3 Iowa athletes in total have tested positive for the virus.

As the press conference concluded after 50 minutes, it was clear to me that the Iowa Hawkeye football program is the initial gust in the winds of change around college football.

The change of making the game more inclusive, rather than divisive. Becoming more uplifting, rather than defeating. Making student-athletes empowered, rather than silenced.

On display today were the commitments of Kirk Ferentz, Gary Barta, and Iowa players to making meaningful change in Iowa Athletics.

The post Doyle severance, Barta regret highlights newsworthy day for Iowa football appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On the interior, the changes made over the past week is more than many fans would ever think to see in a 40-year time span. Between morale, expression and unity, Iowa football is in a very different place than it was on Thursday, June 4th.

At Friday’s press conference outside the Hansen Football Complex, the word “change” was used again and again and again, but it was used for all the right reasons. Flanked by sophomore safety Kaevon Merriweather, junior running back Ivory Kelly-Martin and senior kicker Keith Duncan, Kirk Ferentz delivered an update on the state of the program.

“We spent Monday in meetings, instead of a workout. The players did most of the talking: it was raw, it was powerful and productive,” Ferentz said. “Everything was on the table, it got somewhat heated and somewhat emotional at times, and I think that’s good.”

The meetings on Monday came after the suspension of strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, amid allegations that Doyle made racist and belittling comments to black student-athletes. Ferentz did not give a comment on Doyle in fairness to the ongoing investigation.

Many have called on Ferentz to take blame for what happened in his program, and he did so at Friday’s press conference.

“I’m responsible for anything that happens here, that’s my accountability and that’s my responsibility as head coach,” Ferentz said. “So anything that happens to be a failure lands on my desk.”

Another big topic was the nature of the tweet sent out by Kaevon Merriweather on Monday.

When asked about the nature of the tweet, Merriweather went into further explanation.

“The tweet was about the Iowa community, we wanted to let them know that our team is together as one and we expect our fans to be their with us every step of the way,” Merriweather said.

The tweet did result in some backlash as it appeared Merriweather indicated that the team would be kneeling for the national anthem this fall in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

While Merriweather clarified that the team had not made a decision on that matter, Kirk Ferentz said that the idea was not “hypothetical” and that while the team had not officially decided on it, it looks very like that the team will kneel for the national anthem this fall.

As for senior kicker Keith Duncan, as optimistic as he was about the future, he stated that not all of the blame was on the coaches for what had happened in the Iowa program.

“I would take complete blame as players, because a majority of the people in the building are players,” Duncan said. “We need to speak up more, if we see something, I would never put all the blame on Coach Ferentz, he is not able to see all these things, we see everything.”

While Duncan did take some of the blame as a leader, he stated that the unity of the team never wavered.

“I think the unity was always there, I think it was the communication was something that we could improve on,” Duncan said. “We’re a very tight group: players, coaches, it’s a family, it really is. I’m very excited to be on the team, we’re all excited to push forward and see what we can do.”

One of the many allegations made against the atmosphere in the Iowa program was that black student athletes felt like they were “walking on eggshells” whenever they were in the facility, junior running back Ivory Kelly-Martin went further in detail.

“Yes, it felt like that, it was an atmosphere where you did have to look out and watch your back and just had to be on your toes at times,” Kelly-Martin said. “But throughout this week there have been so many conversations had about change and these last couple days in the weight room and on the field, we can see a clear difference between how it is now and how it was before.”

The college football world has kept a keen eye on what’s happened in Iowa City over the last seven days, ideas split among those across the country whether this is something Kirk Ferentz should lose his job over. But, in a conversation with a new player, Ferentz stated that thought is not what’s in his player’s heads.

“I was talking to one of our new players this week, told him it was certainly a tough time to join the program coming in,” Ferentz said. “I was encouraged by his response, he said ‘Coach, I’m excited to be here, and we have a chance to set the bar for college football.'”

The word “change” has never had a bigger meaning for Iowa football than it does right now.

The post Press Conference Recap: “Change” more prevalent than ever in Iowa football appeared first on KRUI Radio.

The Iowa football program has alleged issues with racial disparities.

Maybe that’s me being a naive, 21-year old kid. Maybe it’s because I believed that all faculty of the University of Iowa champion themselves on equality (Which almost all absolutely do so). Maybe it’s because as a child and a teenager, the Iowa football program was seen as the gold standard in terms of growing young boys into grown men.

Whatever caused my belief in the program being above what has happened, it was disproved and shattered on Friday night. Allegations came forth that many African-American athletes were the target of racially insensitive comments at the hands of strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, who was one of Kirk Ferentz’s first hires in the winter of 1998-1999.

Many former African-American athletes, such as James Daniels, Mike Daniels, Jaleel Johnson, Amani Hooker and various others expressed concern about their experiences with Coach Doyle within the program.

One of the concerns included being “difficult for black players to walk around the facility and be themselves”. Quite a few concerns arose about comments allegedly made by Doyle that centered around “putting black players back on the street”.

Most of the allegations came out Friday night. Before the end of the night, Kirk Ferentz released a statement on the issues brought up on social media. By early Saturday evening, Chris Doyle was placed on paid administrative leave, announced by Ferentz in a video released on the football team’s Twitter account.

In the past 24 hours, support has poured in near and far from those that played in the Iowa program over the past 20 years. Outside a faction of people that any story of this subject is going to attract, the way this story has unfolded has spotlighted what is good about conversations involving racism.

There has been great dialogue between players, media and fans about each player’s alleged incidents. Players have provided great detail about their respective incidents, rather than remaining vague and bringing on a “mob mentality”.

The clarity makes it easier for the public to make a clear, conscious decision on this whole controversy. Quite frankly, clear, conscious decisions is something that is becoming forgotten in American life.

In the point-of-view of this 21-year old, it seems everything is driven by where your allegiances lie. Whether the allegiance is in politics, faith, fandom, etc., people don’t think for themselves as much as they should.

What has unfolded in our country the last week and a half has caused me to rethink whether I truly believe in something or I believe in it because that’s what my allegiance tells me to believe.

What’s come out of Iowa City over the past 24 hours is disappointing to see as a normal human being, no matter what you believe in.

I was raised in a lily-white small town a half-hour north of Des Moines. I rarely came into frequent contact with African-Americans before I arrived at the University of Iowa. I was raised to treat everyone as you wanted to be treated, regardless of what they looked like.

I will never be the target of serious racial prejudice and inequality as a white male. But, I’ve learned throughout this experience that listening is more powerful than any spoken word could ever be when it comes to the issue of racism.

The greatest lesson I learned about listening came from (of all places) an interview with heavy metal artist Marilyn Manson in reference to his alleged indirect role with the Columbine High School shooters.

When asked in an interview what he would say to the perpetrators of the massacre. Manson replied, “I wouldn’t say a word, I’d listen to what they had to say, and that’s what no one did”.

The best thing anyone can do today, tomorrow and however long it takes to address these issues in our country, is to listen. What has happened within the Iowa football program is no exception to this.

Listen to what these athletes have to say, maybe it could help you grow too.

The post Douglas: Iowa football controversy spotlights positives of racial conversations appeared first on KRUI Radio.

IOWA CITY – Brandon Snyder’s season hung in the balance in April. A torn left ACL meant that he would likely be out for his entire junior season, a season in which he was expected to emerge as one of the leaders of the Hawkeye secondary.

Setting his sights towards a full recovery, Snyder refused to acknowledge his entire season would be gone. He would miss time, there was no doubt about it.

But he would be back. He knew he’d be back.

“I don’t want to have the fastest recovery, that was never my goal. I wanted to have the best recovery,” Snyder said. “Coach (Chris) Doyle kept preaching that to me.”

Snyder and Doyle, Iowa’s strength and condition coach, went to work with that in mind. Getting back on the field as quickly as possible is dangerous, as it leaves the door open for a re-injury. The lawyers from https://laurajenkinsattorney.com/car-accidents/ not only help with accidents, but also the injuries caused due to accidents.

Together, the two managed to get Snyder back to the field just five and a half months after surgery, a remarkably quick recovery for an ACL injury. More importantly, it was successful.

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In Iowa’s fifth game of the season, Snyder was cleared to dress in full uniform and participate in warm ups. A week later, on Homecoming Saturday in Iowa City, he was fully cleared.

He was back.

Starting at free safety, Snyder’s impact was felt right away. The Iowa defense raved all week about how he manages to make the team better, even when he was sidelined with the injury.

In the third quarter, Iowa was clinging to a 17-13 lead. The offense had stalled twice in a row, and the defense needed to make a play to wake the team up.

Illinois quarterback Jeff George, Jr. dropped back to pass and overthrew his intended receiver. The ball hit Snyder right between the “3” and “7” on his jersey as he brought it in for an interception.

Taking off the other way, Snyder had 89-yards to reach the south end zone of Kinnick Stadium. Senior linebackers Josey Jewell and Bo Bower were in front of him, ready to lay blocks and get Snyder free.

They did, and Snyder was off. When he reached the 20-yard line, he was all alone, nothing in front of him but the end zone. (Video here.)

Behind him was a grueling, but speedy and efficient recovery. Behind him were the emotional struggles he felt when he couldn’t be on the field to help his team. Behind him were teammates, coaches, trainers, and his faith, who all had helped him make this moment possible, a moment he had been imagining since April.

“Every day. That’s what drove me was to get back on the field, “ Snyder said. “Just picturing a moment like that in Kinnick. Making that play doesn’t happen if you don’t envision it.”

For the final 20 yards, he reflected on the past five and a half months. It hadn’t been easy. He needed a lot of help to do it. But he did it, and he earned the moment.

“I was just trying to take in the moment… and just how cool it is to be back in Kinnick Stadium and be healthy,” Snyder said.

One couldn’t help but watch in awe as a former walk on, less than six months removed from an ACL tear, made a play to catapult his team to victory. His play had changed the tides, and ignited the Hawkeyes to a 45-16 blowout.

“That was the play we needed to pick us up a little bit,” Head Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “To come up with that play to get the interception was big, and the to turn it into points was even bigger.”

Not many people outside Snyder’s circle believed this kind of comeback was possible. Family members and teammates weren’t so surprised. Many of them, even during the play, couldn’t help but stop to recognize the magnitude of what Snyder had done.

“He worked his butt off, his thought process had been great,” Bower said. “It was great, and breathtaking, I guess you could say, a nice long run.”

A person can learn a lot when they face adversity head on. Snyder gained an appreciation for what he has, who he has around him, and what his faith has blessed him with. Moments like this should be savored for as long as possible. He savored the final 20 yards, and surely will for a long time after.

“It’s something that you miss, its something that I take for granted,” Snyder said. “But I appreciate it a lot more through this, and I’m thankful for that.”

The post Snyder Returns from Injury, Records Game-Changing Pick-6 appeared first on KRUI Radio.