Former Iowa Hawkeyes strength coach Chris Doyle landed a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday but later resigned amid online backlash. With Doyle resigning from the Jaguars, there are questions about the original scandal that led to his departure from the Hawkeyes. Here is the important information to remember.
Several former Iowa players went on social media over the summer and made accusations of racial bias within the football program, primarily directing them at Doyle. Some players also mentioned head coach Kirk Ferentz and several on-field assistants. These former team members said that Black and White players were held to different standards and that Black players were mistreated. Other accusations said that Doyle and other assistants made racist remarks and that Black players felt that they had to conform to specific ways of behavior.
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These accusations led to the University of Iowa placing Doyle on administrative leave on June 6 and later buying out his contract. He was the only member of the staff to lose his job amid the accusations. The university also hired a Kansas City law firm to conduct an external investigation into the football program.
According to Hawk Central, several former players also filed a lawsuit in November 2020 and named the university, Ferentz, and Doyle among others as defendants. “Under the watchful eye of Kirk Ferentz, Iowa football coaching staff utilized racially discriminatory and punitive means to force African-American athletes into strict compliance with the program’s racist philosophy that effectively stripped away every cultural aspect of being an African-American,” the 70-page suit claimed.
The players alleged in the lawsuit that “African-American players athletes were more harshly, if not exclusively, punished or reprimanded for menial ‘disruptions’ like singing, dancing or ‘looking funny.’” The suit claims that the result was an atmosphere that “deprived” Black athletes of the ability to enjoy their sport.
Thirteen former Hawkeye players banded together to file the lawsuit. This list of players includes Akrum Wadley (2013-17), Jonathan Parker (2013-16), Marcel Joly (2014-17), Aaron Mends (2014-18), Maurice Fleming (2012-15), Reggie Spearman (2013), Kevonte Martin-Manley (2010-15), Darian Cooper (2011-16), Laron Taylor (2012-14), Brandon Simon (2016-19), Javon Foy (2019-20), Andre Harris (2013), and Terrence Harris (2014-16). Only three of these players stayed at Iowa for their entire college football careers.
The first seven counts of the lawsuit focused on Title VI, which states: “No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” The eighth count is for breach of contract and claims that the university, the coaches, and athletic director Gary Barta are at fault for not taking action when players came forward with grievances.
