Less than a month in, Ed Reed’s tenure at Bethune-Cookman University is over.
On Saturday morning, Reed took to social media and announced his contract would not be ratified by the university after an agreement between the parties had been in place. Later, via Instagram, Reed claimed he was being forced out of the position by B-CU. The post was accompanied by a 15-plus-minute video depicting Reed ranting about the situation at a podium.
The two sides reached an agreement in principle on Dec. 27, but no terms were ever released.
‘I am NOT withdrawing my name as the head coach at Bethune-Cookman,’ his Instagram post read. ‘The administration and the AD are forcing me out. Thank you to all that supported me and my staff through this process. Good day and God bless.’
That seemed to build upon a longer statement released through Reed’s foundation on Twitter in which a contract disagreement between the two parties was to blame for the rift.
“It’s my desire to not only coach football, but to be an agent of change that most people just talk about being,” it read. “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.’
The Pro Football Hall of Famer and former star with the Miami Hurricanes and Baltimore Ravens had been working without a contract throughout this month. He made headlines last weekend after criticizing Bethune-Cookman’s facilities during a profanity-laced social media live stream. He later issued an apology.
The university has not released a statement since the announcement of Reed’s hire. Athletic director Reggie Theus has not responded to the News-Journal’s requests for comment.
Bethune-Cookman tabbed Reed after back-to-back 2-9 seasons since joining the Southwestern Athletic Conference in 2021. It fired former coach Terry Sims, who tallied a 38-39 record across seven seasons, in November.
Reed, 44, had never been a college head coach before accepting the position. He had served one year as an assistant defensive backs coach for the Buffalo Bills and three years as an adviser on the Miami Hurricanes’ staff since retiring as a player in 2015.