Rutgers University fired Mike Rice, the head coach of the men’s basketball team, on Wednesday after a video that showed him abusing his players was shown on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. The video, which was broadcasted on Tuesday, showed footage of Rice verbally and physically abusing his players, throwing balls at them and cursing and berating them.
The Rutgers athletic department announced that Rice, who had been a coach at Rutgers for three years, was terminated on its Twitter page. The tweet said, “Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice.”
Tim Pernetti, the athletic director at Rutgers, had fined Rice $50,000 and suspended him for three games in December without giving an explanation. Pernatti released a statement on the Rutgers website that said “I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice. Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December, and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community.”
Rice, who is 44-years-old, was previously the coach at Robert Morris University, where he led Robert Morris to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1992. He is also known as the son of former college basketball coach and current Portland Trail Blazers announcer Mike Rice.
For more information on Rutgers Athletics, visit the Rutgers website at www.scarletknights.com.
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