Rutgers coach Mike Rice

[MoneyLineDawg]

He has to be fired......Murdock pretty much said he took out his anger issues on the kids

Screaming at someone and calling them those names like that and throwing basketballs at their heads really accomplishes nothing.....

He's not being a disiplinarian, he's just being an asshole

I played multiple sports in high school and played a sport in college.....Had all different kinds of coaches. The best coaches that got the most out of us were the ones that could find the right balance of discipline......Pretty much the coaches that we walked all over because they were too nice and the coaches that were just jerkoffs all the time got no respect.

You have to be likable but also be in charge........

[No coincidences]

The video kind of makes me laugh.

Kicking the players in the ass and throwing the ball straight at their heads and they barely have any reaction.

Almost like a porn movie.

The fact that they don't have any reaction shows how often he does it.

That's the other point to be made here though: while I believe many coaches explode and throw tantrums, you also have to be selective with it. If you're doing it all the time, it loses its effectiveness and players just start tuning you out -- especially if you're losing.

[No coincidences]

You have to be likable but also be in charge........

This. You have to know when to kick their ass and when to put your arm around them.

[GUMMO77]

I think former players should be asked their thoughts, not sports writers who sit behind a desk. I bet Nick Saban has words come from his mouth like that in practice and jerks players around and he's won 3 titles in 4 years. These kids are going to school for free for playing basketball. It's called tough love.

On Outside The Lines tomorrow they'll have former players on.

[Easy-Rider 66]

Agree with Opie's point. Part of the problem with Mike Rice's behavior is what the fuk has he done in the coaching world. Reminds me when Marty Mornhinweg was the rookie coach of the Lions and he walked out of practice and told the players to coach themselves because he did not like their attitude. What the hell had Marty accomplished up to that point. He was no Bill Parcells. Rice is a nobody who is pushing around college Kids because he Can. Fuk Him.

[yisman]

This is a critical point, too. May not be politically correct to say it, but if the guy was winning, it would all either be swept under the rug or just ignored. You can't pull these stunts for long and go 12-18 or whatever. Not a good combination.

well obviously. That's how Knight got away with what he did for such a long time.

If you're going to behave badly, you better at least win games.

Mike Rice is not only a POS, he sucks at his job.

[Andy117]

This is a critical point, too. May not be politically correct to say it, but if the guy was winning, it would all either be swept under the rug or just ignored. You can't pull these stunts for long and go 12-18 or whatever. Not a good combination.

It caught up with Bob Knight, eventually.

[OMGRandyJackson]

Bob Knight use to abuse the shit out of his players. All top coaches do this.

To be honest I think the biggest issue here is the homophobic slur. We are on the verge of having and accepting a gay professional player and then this happens.

[MoneyLineDawg]

Bob Knight use to abuse the shit out of his players. All top coaches do this.

To be honest I think the biggest issue here is the homophobic slur. We are on the verge of having and accepting a gay professional player and then this happens.

That's just simply not true......I really can't picture alot of the top NCAAB coaches doing the stuff in the video, or even close......Roy Williams? Coach K? Shahka Smart? Brad Stevens? No way

Some coaches around the country probably do some similar shit, but "all top coaches" is wrong

Also, firing basketballs from point blank range at someone is borderline assault.....especially firing it into someone's head

[shawn555]

My high school coaches were as bad as that. And my college coaches were the same. They never threw things at us, but the verbal insults, pushing and physical contact was just as bad as that.

So you have not seen anything like this then.

[d2bets]

I can understand some physicality, maybe even grabbing a guy's shirt to get his attention, bodying can show a player how to box out, but I'm having hard time with all the random whipping of basketballs are players. I can't see the rationale. It's not dodgeball. This guy is sick. I think he gets off on it.

[Junkyard Dog]

, btw eric murdock is a snitch

[The Kraken]

No, but these are grown men. How about when I was in 9th grade and one of my freshman team football coaches hit me so hard in the earhole of my helmet with his palm that I got knocked to the ground? Or in college when one of my team mates was given the wrong route for scout team by one of our graduate assistants and my head coach came over and whipped his facemask around back and forth so hard that it probably gave him whiplash, all while yelling into his face with spit coming out of his mouth?

so because it happened to you it makes it acceptable?

Did you ever stop and think that it was unacceptable when it happened to you?

[Crate Mayne]

And he's fired... Funny how behind closed doors Rutgers and their "hired independent investigators" only saw fit to suspend him, but once it hits the public the firing happens next day. My guess is the AD might be on his way out now too, just to further save face.

[daneblazer]

I've seen and had coaches cuss, grab face masks and jerseys, push players into position, but never had one throw shit at anyone or kick and punch them or try to humiliate them amongst their peers. The players have no reaction like they're use to it. Cussing, grabbing and shoving is one thing, but throwing balls at their head is crossing the line.

[yisman]

ESPN trivia today:

• 8
• Which Big East men's basketball team fired their head coach Wednesday morning?

• Louisville
• Georgetown
• Rutgers
• Connecticut

• Next Question

• 
• Rutgers has fired basketball coach Mike Rice after a videotape aired showing him shoving, grabbing and throwing balls at players in practice and using gay slurs during practice.

[MoneyLineDawg]

I've seen and had coaches cuss, grab face masks and jerseys, push players into position, but never had one throw shit at anyone or kick and punch them or try to humiliate them amongst their peers. The players have no reaction like they're use to it. Cussing, grabbing and shoving is one thing, but throwing balls at their head is crossing the line.

Agreed.....also agree with talking shit about where the foreign players were from constantly is fukked up

[tony_come]

Obama should play for rice

[YouHave2outs]

Three.

These are grown men playing D-I basketball. If this tape surfaced from a 10-year-old's practice, I'd understand the backlash. People act like this guy got out his chainsaw and mask and started chasing players around the court.

My point isn't to defend the guy -- it's to laugh at people who think stuff like this is out of the ordinary.

He consistently and relentlessly threw basketballs as hard as he could at their faces/groins, a lot of times when they weren't looking. GTFO idiot. You don't think that is out of the ordinary? We're not talking about yelling at a grown man or being physical with someone way larger than you. That guy has problems.

Coiner, do you have any evidence (even purely anecdotal) to make the claim that this is not out of the ordinary? 'Trust me, it does' I believe you said, inferring that it happens at 'a lot of universities'. Enlighten me. You have to be the biggest troll around here.

I think former players should be asked their thoughts, not sports writers who sit behind a desk. I bet Nick Saban has words come from his mouth like that in practice and jerks players around and he's won 3 titles in 4 years. These kids are going to school for free for playing basketball. It's called tough love.

This guy didn't just yell and jerk players around. He probably has serious anger issues, he is bordering on psychopathic in some of those clips. It seems hard to understand for people I guess.

If firing a ball as hard as you can straight at a kids head while he is not looking every single day in practice is not out of the ordinary, I guess I'm wrong though.

[EASports]

He was a bully, and definitely has mental health issues.

[YouHave2outs]

Bob Knight use to abuse the shit out of his players. All top coaches do this.

To be honest I think the biggest issue here is the homophobic slur. We are on the verge of having and accepting a gay professional player and then this happens.

Is this true?

I'm not talking about calling someone a f*ggot or cursing them out. Verbal abuse has to go on everywhere all the time. I'm not even talking about grabbing or shoving a player, even as hard as you can. While I wouldn't think it's an optimal way to motivate people, I realize that some will respond to this. Also, I know that in the moment angers can flare up from time to time.

I'm talking about someone that consistently displays a lack of mental health, where it is clear that his abusive actions can have 0 positive impact on the players. I guess the fact that he was firing balls at players that weren't looking, with preposterous regularity, is what really got me. And like others have mentioned, he did it so often they were numb to reacting to it.

[DiggityDaggityDo]

100% has to be fired, recruiting will now be impossible...

I didn't even know that Rutgers had a basketball team.

[YouHave2outs]

I didn't even know that Rutgers had a basketball team.

I did because Chuck Bark referred to their women's team as 'Nappy-headed hos' a few years back..

[Easy-Rider 66]

I did because Chuck Bark referred to their women's team as 'Nappy-headed hos' a few years back..

That was a Don Imus statement.

[yisman]

yeah very famous Don Imus statement because he got in big trouble for that.

Al Sharpton threw a tantrum.

[EASports]

yeah very famous Don Imus statement because he got in big trouble for that.

Al Sharpton threw a tantrum.

Yet rappers are allowed to repeatedly call women of any race Bitches, Hoes, and whatever they want.

I'm black and think its embarrasing. I think black people are allowed to say whatever they want, and thats why they make the best comedians.

[OMGRandyJackson]

If you think this does not happen often or top coaches do not do this, you are in denial.

[EASports]

If you think this does not happen often or top coaches do not do this, you are in denial.

If you think the overall populus of players are complicit, and accepting of verbal/physical abuse to this degree you are in denial.

[will2survive]

Mike Rice makes Bobby Knight look like Mother Theresa

[DiggityDaggityDo]

[freeVICK]

Big deal. My DB coach in high school was the exact same. I wanted to bash his face in too many times to count. But whatever that's sports. Ain't no damn ballet

[Sport_Fish]

Gotta love the idiots on here replying 'why are ppl surprised' 'so what..this shit happens everywhere'..

Really? Guess what... Murder Happens alot too...theft happens alot too, and rape! So does that make it ok? The fact that u re-tards try to justify this kind of behavior by stating 'oh I went through it' and 'oh it happens in other schools too'.

And this is no matter of being tough or being a 'pussy'....If I'm the parents of those kids, there is no chance in hell I would stand my son being abused like that by someone I expect to be a figure they look up to and respect. Now of course some parents here are messed up people, and gambling their income away on a daily basis, so I could kind of see why some of the responses are the way they are.

[face]

it's illegal to throw balls at people's heads repeatedly. university had to fire him, pretty simple. if it wouldn't have leaked to the media he'd probably still be coaching using tough love strategies but he got busted.
Other coaches kicking kids in the asses and stuff will have to try not to get caught, because if you do . . .

[I/O]

For all this abuse has there been a lawsuit, has there been any criminal charges made??

This from a program that hasn't exactly churned out NBA players or won National Championships.

One of these men, or parents of them, over the years would have gone legal seeing as they could have used the money/notoriety

[yisman]

For all this abuse has there been a lawsuit, has there been any criminal charges made??

This from a program that hasn't exactly churned out NBA players or won National Championships.

One of these men, or parents of them, over the years would have gone legal seeing as they could have used the money/notoriety

Over the years? Guy hasn't been a head coach that long.

There definitely could be lawsuits coming. These things take time.

Final numbers on Mike Rice at Rutgers:

44-51 record, 16-38 in conference play

Terrible coach, bully, probably mental issues.