Ferentz: No more suspensions on the horizon
Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz quelled concerns about additional roster losses on Tuesday, during a press conference following the recent departures of three Hawkeye players.
A pending matchup with 14th-ranked Missouri in the Dec. 28 Insight Bowl was overshadowed last week by the arrest of receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos on drug charges.
In recent days, Iowa officials also announced that running backs Brandon Wegher and Jewel Hampton planned to transfer, while fellow tailback Adam Robinson would miss the bowl game after failing to comply with team policies.
“I anticipate everybody else to be ready to go,” Ferentz said of the Insight Bowl.
Ferentz and athletic director Gary Barta said they participated in the conference, in large part, because of rampant Internet speculation about the team — including buzz that the Hawkeyes would lose other players before facing the Tigers in Tempe, Ariz.
“I’m not a huge fan of the social networks,” Ferentz said. “Just so much misinformation out there.”
Barta also said no other players were expected to be sidelined for disciplinary reasons.
“We don’t have any more, nor do we anticipate any more,” Barta said. “Can we guarantee the future in any of our sports? Probably not long-term, but we don’t have anybody to add (at this time).”
Ferentz told reporters last week that Johnson-Koulianos has played his final game for Iowa.
On Tuesday, Ferentz added that the Hawkeyes all-time leading pass catcher would not receive help from the university when preparing for the NFL draft.
“The decision has been made,” Ferentz said. “That player is off the team. He’s not with us.”
Ferentz said two Iowa City police officers told him they were in the process of arresting Johnson-Koulianos.
“Ironically, we were (drug) testing at that very moment when they were here,” Ferentz said. “So at least my first knowledge wasn’t news reported.”
Ferentz said the officers did not suggest other players were involved. The investigation involving Johnson-Koulianos remains open.
Wegher left the Hawkeyes during summer camp. Hampton was a starter, before suffering a serious knee injury for the second straight season.
“It was a mutual decision,” Ferentz said of Hampton. “We had a conversation Sunday night. A big part of what we do is shape behavior, and as players move up through the program the expectations get higher.
“We’re pretty firm in what we do, how we conduct our business. I don’t want to speak for Jewel, but talking in broad-based terms, those are decisions players have to make.”
Hampton has not returned calls seeking comment.
Ferentz left open the possibility of Robinson returning in January — and said he expects him to be back with the team.
Robinson, the former Des Moines Lincoln star, led Iowa this fall with 941 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
“Adam Robinson is a good guy,” Ferentz said. “He just has not been taking care of business the way I expect him to.
“It’s not a matter of eligibility.”
Other highlights:
– Barta outlined UI’s drug testing program, and said that the department has discovered areas in which the testing protocol needs to be tightened. He emphasized that no athlete was caught trying to skirt the test in some fashion, but that potential ways to get around the tests were discovered. The NCAA and the Big Ten also do random testing, and Iowa is not required to have its own program. UI has had its program in place since 1988.
– Ferentz said that the department doesn’t do background checks on the roommates of players living with people not on the football team, but he did raise the possibility that perhaps they should. Johnson-Koulianos was living with a man with a prior drug conviction at the time of his arrest.
– Barta said that the football program is in the “best of hands” both on and off the field. He and Ferentz also gave a vote of confidence to Chigozie “Chick” Ejiasi, who was hired a couple of years ago as a “life skills” coach to help stem a tide of off-the-field problems with student athletes, particularly football players.
– Ferentz said he wasn’t aware that any other players knew of Johnson-Koulianos’ drug issues, and that if players were aware of it, it’s unfortunate that none came forward.
Category: Iowa Hawkeyes Football
Nice to get the air cleared of all the rumors. Now everyone can concentrate on practicing hard, getting better and representing Iowa properly by playing 60 full minutes of Hawkeye football in the bowl game.
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Right on! Hopefully, the Hawks will be like a “pheonix rising from the ashes,” and crush the tiggers!
Anyone know who will be No. 2 on the depth chart at RB? Will it be Rogers, or Paki? Anyone else that I’m forgetting about (for the bowl game, I mean)?
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Coaches too?! Yes were back to wanting more fromthe coaches already.
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Still think its weird they don’t ask the players who they live with. Very simple … the fb coaches should be saying “Give us a list of where you guys are living and with whom. If its not an Iowa athlete, we want to know who that person is.”
And, Mizzou just converted another 3rd down and is looking to go up 30 …
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Now that this over lets get back to football.
Players owe it to themselves to lead a life that allows them to get a degree, and maybe a shot at the nfl. It’s not a babysitting company. If what your getting isn’t worth the effort then HYDIOUS. we need keds who are here for an education and want to play football, if you want to focus on chemicals make your way to Mexico.
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Mexico? How about rural Iowa?
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“Ferentz said he wasn’t aware that any other players knew of Johnson-Koulianos’ drug issues, and that if players were aware of it, it’s unfortunate that none came forward.”
Are we actually supposed to believe this?!?!?! Seriously? I played in college and knew who was using what and I also know that no player would rat out another team mate for doing it. Too much to lose and it is unrealistic to expect 18 to 22 year olds to come forward. It is laughable. Drug test the entire team please and take the loses now.
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Does this really answer all the questions about this situation? I don’t think so. My take is this:
It’s 100% impossible that ZERO other players on the team knew about DJK and his side job. So the players think so little of Ejiasi, Ferentz and the rest of the staff that they kept their mouths shut the entire past year – eighteen months? Are you kidding me? And yet Ferentz believes this should end all questions and we should just fuhhgeddabouttitttt? After the nosedive we took this year and 4 of the past 6 seasons with 5 or more losses? He’s either really arrogant or really stupid – there’s no in-between on this one.
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*thumbs up*
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No, they probably don’t think much of the coaching staff. But, that wouldn’t matter; the players code is you don’t rat each out NO MATTER WHAT. Doesn’t matter if JoPa, Ferentz, Hayden Fry or Tony Dungy is your coach.
Which, is stupid.
If I’m playing, with a possible NFL future in the balance, I confront my teammate first and then, if he doesn’t get his act together, go to the coaches/administration.
You want to screw up your life with drugs, fine. You want to screw up my future, my image, my reputation & my team … we got a problem.
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There are men on the current team who are of Kinnick caliber; i.e. scholar-athletes, highly competitive who would NOT tolerate a teammate dealing drugs. (knowing that if it spread a) they would have so many suspensions they could not compete and b) they would all be painted by the same brush. A close friend might look the other way but there are way too many personalities on the squad to keep everyone quiet. If you think “Ferentz is arrogant or stupid”, look in the mirror. As for some less than elite seasons – I heard the same tripe from Fry detractors over the yrs; next you’ll blame Gable for only winning 19 championships in 22 yrs!
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I believe we are upwards of 20 arrests in three years. The “Aw, shucks” routine has run its course.
As for the season records, it’s fair to question the quality of the on-field product given the coach’s compensation. To disagree is to wear blinders.
I’ve said before, even if we take away his first two years as “rebuilding,” Ferentz still has five seasons with five or more losses and five seasons with four or less. If you think that justifies $3.6 million then I wish you were the one paying my salary.
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If you lead a program that generates millions of dollars annually in revenue, then you deserve to be highly compensated. I’m guessing you don’t, and your aren’t.
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Oh this is not over by a long shot Hok fans. They did their best to get out in front of this thing but the house of cards is already falling. Iowa acts like USC and Miami off the field and plays like, well Iowa on the field.
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For the $645,000 raise that Ferentz got they could have built a dorm for the football players. It would have solved alot of problems. They are on damage control because people are panicking. I am not trying to be negative but every year there are issues with the football program and every year they give us the same old hoedown.
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Many schools, Iowa included, did have their FB teams in ‘dorms’ but that was discouraged by academic types & even the NCAA as negated the concept of student-athletes. Those SUI students on full rides for academics, art, speech, drama, etc do not have restrictions on who they room with or where so why would there be a double standard for athletic scholarship recipients (and as a undergrad & grad student @ Iowa I can tell you the % of non-athletes into drugs, booze, etc is no better than athletes regardless of which had scholarships.
Students are students and people are people; some weak, some strong; some smart, some not. Some leaders, some followers.
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Oh, Kirk, you make me laugh. Only because if I don’t laugh I’ll go mad.
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this has been quite a week. the big ten names and logo, Iowas situation, Ohio St. is the only big ten team favored in the bowls.
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I guess I want to know where the buck stops. After a press conference that was called not because Barta &
Ferentz wanted it, but were forced to have it because of rampant speculation and rumors on Social Media. Then after the keystone cop routine of maybe we need to tighten up our procedures a bit, and the same behavior existed when we won 11 games and no one cared,I cannot honestly say that I do not believe a major problem exists within the football program nor can I believe there is not a problem. I do know that Barta & Ferentz should know and are darn well accountable to fix it!!
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FOR ONE I DO NOT BELIEVE ANYTHING THEY ARE SAYING…I THINK THE COACHING STAFF, ALL OF THEM,
HAVE FAILED AT HANDLING THE STUDENT/ATHLETES AS FERENTZ CALLS THEM AND I THINK THERE WILL BE MORE..
POSSIBLE RECRUITS HAVE ALREADY GONE ELSEWHERE DUE TO THE UNREST…
FERENTZ IS NOT COACHING LIKE A $4MILLION COACH IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM…
IT IS INTERESTING HOW HE AVOIDS ANSWERING QUESTIONS DIRECTLY AND KIND OF TALKS AROUND THEM.
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Isn’t the internet great? Every whackjob that can type is now an expert on subjects they, in reality, probably can’t even pronounce.
Build a DORM for $645,000? Really? Is that what you’re going with?
Iowa acts like USC and Miami off the field? Wow! Just go ahead and jump off the ledge!
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Amen brother.
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I, for one, do believe Ferentz and Barta. I believe they’re both decent and honorable individuals, unlike so many of the conspiracy theorists who populate the message boards these days. These people seem to derive some sort of sick delight in attempting to drag down good people (and programs). The reason why they had to call the press conference is to set the record straight in the face of all of the negativity being generated by the blogs and social media sites. It was growing out of control.
I don’t know all of the factors that contributed to this year’s disappointing slide in football. I was as disgusted as any other fan. But I don’t doubt the integrity of the Kirk Ferentz.
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Exactly. Nobody is satisfied with how this season concluded, but that is no excuse to just fly off half-cocked and start dragging every person associated with the program through the mud.
You want to see how rumors get blown out of proportion so far that they barely resemble reality happen? Read the comments in this thread.
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Well said.
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As Bob Elliot ex. assistant coach under Hayden Fry said “everybody lived in the dorm” back in the days. And as I recall things were good back then. In 2009 Iowa spent $120,324 on 7 home game hotel stays. This was Gary Barta’s statement regarding the hotel issue: “staying in a hotel provides a controlled environment.” There is a PC article titled “Iowa Football: College teams get a good night’s rest-at a cost” Aug. 29. 2010. Adding up Ferentz’s annual pay increase and teams hotel costs you’re looking at $800,000. My argument for building a dorm for the football program makes perfect sense. Go do some research before you start calling people “whackjobs” and “conspiracy theorists”.
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Kirk Ferentz has always made the correct decisions when confronted with player discipline problems. He has never made excusses or tried to keep a player on the team that didn’t deserve it. When I think back to Tom Osborne’s 2nd and 3rd chances for Lawrence Philips, Bobby Bowdens countless 2nd chances in FSU’s heyday, the laundry list at Miami among other high profile programs, Kirk’s track record speaks for itself. The sin, in my opinion, isn’t that you get kids that run into some trouble. That’s going to happen with 120 kids on the team from diverse backrounds. They all don’t come from small, white-bread towns with picket fences. The sin is covering up the problems, making excuses for star players so they can keep playing and ignoring the problems in the name of victories and championships. In this regard, Kirk’s record is spotless. From Benny Sapp to DJK, Hampton and Arob and everyone else in-between, Kirk has never been a sell-out. He has always represented himself and the U of I admirably when dealing with problem players.
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Thank you HawkInWI and Chitwood and HawkinIL. Its good to know there are some of us who actually get it. KF and the staff handle these issues very well.
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I really liked HawkinWi comments and I am embarrassed that I believed all the crazy rumors that were going around. Kirk does have a proven track record and is an upstanding coach who does it the right way. That is the reason he is a perfect fit at the University of Iowa. Go Hawks!
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I believe it is silly to think that any of us are able to control the behavior of others. Leaders put out rules and policies, but it is up to the individual to make the decision to follow said rules or not. DJK and every other player on the team make their own decisions. Sometimes we all make really stupid decisions. I hope that DJK will be able to change his thinking and start making better decisions.
Concerning the use of drugs by athletes, why would any athlete admit that they do not have the ability or talent to perform without a crutch like this? Admission to the use of drugs is basically saying that all the trash talk by an opponent is true. Do you really think that DJK or any player who was using drugs, would not be able to conceal that fact for a short period of time like college years? Why would they flaunt something like that?
With regard to KF, I can only say that I am glad that I do not have to put up with the vitriol of some posters on these sites. None of us have any idea of what is required to do the job KF does. I cannot say that he has not made mistakes. How would any of us know the answer to that? I believe he tries to be fair to those he associates with and that he earns what he is paid to do.
With regard to the Iowa players, they have given their blood, sweat, and health for the success of the U of I football program. They have given their all, all year long. I choose to honor them, on this site with my words of respect, and in my community with my support.
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Everybody knew DJK was NOT on the Iowa Coaching staffs A-List, for like the S-List. DJK was aware that any mis-cue would result in the staff comming down on him. To bad, he did have talent when he put his mind & body in the right place.
As for Hampton, I wish him the best wherever he may play, as long as Iowa NEVER has to play against him. One does have to ponder his season ending injuries, and whether he was built for the rigors of B10. Wherever he goes perhaps the defense he faces will not hit with the ferocity of the B10. Best of luck to Hampton.
And for Wenger…may the Catholic Priests at your next school keep a close eye on your extra-curricular activies.
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So they expect us to believe that the U of I (with one of the top medical facilities around) can’t figure out how to administer a drug test. Any doctors’ office in any small town can get a valid sample for a test, it is not that hard. The simple truth is the coaches do not really want to know, and they want to be able to plead ignorance.
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