IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Former Iowa running back Akrum Wadley ripped
the Hawkeyes on Monday, saying he was so mistreated by some coaches
he now regrets playing there.
Wadley’s statement, posted on Facebook, mentioned coach Kirk
Ferentz, his son, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, director of
player development Broderick Binns and Chris Doyle, the former
strength and conditioning coach for the Hawkeyes.
Wadley said Brian Ferentz on several occasions jokingly asked him
if he was on his way to commit a robbery when Wadley was leaving
with a team-issued wool hat that covered his face in the cold. He
said his weight was also a constant issue and was used to belittle
him.
”I was threatened by KirkFerentz that my meal card would be taken
away and I will not eat nor be able to sit with my teammates during
eating sessions,” Wadley wrote. ”He did follow through on his
threat.”
Wadley, a New Jersey native, piled up a combined 3,633 yards
rushing and receiving and scored 35 touchdowns for Iowa from
2014-17.
”I felt like playing for Iowa Football was a living nightmare,”
he wrote. ”I never drank alcohol prior to going to college but
based on my experience there it became the only thing I could rely
on, it seems and was what I did to cope.”
More than three dozen former Iowa players, most of them Black, have
accused Iowa of racial bias within the program and many singled out
Doyle, who left the university and will be paid $1.1 million. Iowa
hired a law firm to conduct a review of the football program. Kirk
Ferentz has held news conferences and promised to listen to his
former players; Binns, a former player, has been named interim
director of diversity and inclusion for the athletic department.
A statement issued Monday to the Des Moines Register said Kirk
Ferentz would not comment publicly.
”Coach Ferentz believes that meaningful change takes time and a
thorough independent examination is already underway,” the
statement said. ”He remains committed to creating a more inclusive
culture for all of his players now and in the years to come.”
Ferentz is Iowa’s career wins leader and enters his 22nd season as
the longest-tenured coach of a Bowl Subdivision program. Ferentz
earned $5.5 million last year after bonuses, and his contract runs
through the 2025 season.
