Less than a month after Bethune-Cookman announced that Ed Reed would be its next head coach, Reed himself announced that he won’t.
“Bethune Cookman University has been working with my legal team to craft contract terms with the language and resources we knew were needed to build a successful football program,” Reed said in a statement. “It’s my desire to not only coach football, but to be an agent of change that most people just talk about being. However, after weeks of negotiations I’ve been informed that the University won’t be ratifying my contract and won’t make good on the agreement we had in principle, which had provisions and resources best needed to support the student athletes. I was committed to coaching and cultivating a relationship with the University, players, community and the fans. It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.”
Reed’s relationship with Bethune-Cookman became rocky almost immediately, with Reed complaining publicly about issues ranging from the school’s athletic facilities not being good enough to his office not being cleaned before he arrived to start work.
Reed doesn’t have much coaching experience, having spent just one year as assistant defensive backs coach with the Bills as well as spending the last couple of years in administrative roles at his alma mater, Miami. But he’s a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and Bethune-Cookman hoped he would bring the same kind of success that Deion Sanders brought to Jackson State. Instead, Reed’s tenure is over in less than a month.