I respect Ed Cunningham’s decision to quit broadcasting, but not at Kirk Ferentz’s expense
Here is Kirk Ferentz's statement on Ed Cunningham's remarks which Pat wrote about last week:
Iowa Response to Ed Cunningham Comments
Below are comments from Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz and Casey Beathard, father of former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard.
Head Coach Kirk Ferentz:
“As a seasoned head football coach and the father of three sons who have played collegiate football, the health and safety of our student-athletes is a top priority of the Hawkeye Football program. We have a strong relationship with the medical staff and medical experts at the University of Iowa. Each player is fully evaluated and all established protocols are followed prior to the decision to play and during the game.
Comments made by a retiring sports broadcaster about the coaching staff subjecting a player to possible long-term health related issues because we allowed him to play in the Outback Bowl were surprising and offensive to our coaching staff, the player and his parents. We do not allow a student-athlete to play unless he is medically cleared – that is my commitment to our players and their parents.”
Casey Beathard, father of former Iowa QB C.J. Beathard:
“The coaching and medical staff at Iowa were always very thorough and diligent in addressing any injury situations, and shared all medical information with C.J. and us, as parents. We had absolute confidence in Coach Ferentz, his coaching staff and the medical team to make player safety an uncompromising priority on game day, on the practice field and in the weight room.”
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Ed Cunningham’s decision to give up his highly successful career as a college football television analyst is the latest example of what some believe is the demise of tackle football as we know it today.
The 48-year old Cunningham was at the peak of his career, earning a six-figure salary with a job in which the pay far exceeded the workload.
He had the kind of job that many in his field only dream of having with regard to money and prestige.
And he was good at it, informative, insightful and easy to understand.
But little did we know that Cunningham was haunted by one aspect of his job, and he apparently just couldn’t take it anymore.
He no longer could benefit from a sport that now has been proven to cause brain injuries.
And the last straw, Cunningham said in a story published in the New York Times on Wednesday, was having to watch former Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard get battered in the 2017 Outback Bowl.
Cunningham told the New York Times that he has known some of the Iowa coaches “for years.” It seems that was his way of saying he thought Kirk Ferentz and his associates were above such reckless behavior.
“And it was hard for me not to walk down after the game and just say: ‘Dudes, what are you doing?” Cunningham said. “Really? What are you doing?’ These are just kids.”
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That’s pretty serious criticism from a highly respected source.
Ferentz certainly has his defenders who will try to dismiss Cunningham’s story as being inaccurate and his actions as being impulsive and driven by emotion.
There is no disputing the fact that Beathard took a beating during the 30-3 loss to Florida on Jan 2.
But there was no report saying Beathard had suffered a head injury, let alone a concussion.
He barely could run by the end of the game after suffering a series of blows.
But Beathard told Ferentz he wanted to remain in the game and Ferentz honored his request. It was thought at the time that Ferentz allowed Beathard to make the decision, largely because Beathard was playing in his final game as a senior and because he had led Iowa to 20 victories over the past two seasons.
“If he's going to be in harm’s way, then we’re going to get him out of there, certainly,” Ferentz said after the Outback Bowl. “A medical decision would need to be made by team doctors and trainers "first and foremost."
I feel that Beathard should have been removed from the Outback Bowl much sooner, mostly because he barely could move in the pocket due to injuries that weren’t associated with his head, and because he had performed woefully.
The game was over midway through the third quarter. It made no sense to keep Beathard in the game to take a beating.
But Ferentz is kind of different when it comes to handling his quarterback.
Remember, we’re talking about the same head coach who used James Vandenberg for every snap during a 4-8 season in 2012. It was strange when it happened then, and still is strange.
But it didn’t seem at the time that Ferentz was putting Vandenberg at risk physically.
I’ve covered Kirk Ferentz for nearly two decades, so my judgment could be clouded by being too close to the situation. But I can’t bring myself to believe that Ferentz would keep one of his players in a game if the player had shown any signs of a head injury, not 15 years ago, and especially not now with the heightened awareness concerning head injuries.
Cunningham obviously sees it differently.
And more power to him.
However, that doesn’t mean Ferentz is a villain.
Cunningham has known for years that football is a brutal and violent sport. He contributed to the violence as a standout offensive lineman for the University of Washington and for five seasons in the NFL.
Beathard isn’t the first or the last quarterback to get pounded. It either goes with the territory or it doesn’t.
But to link Beathard’s situation with the concern over head injuries seems unfair when Beathard didn’t suffer a head injury, at least to my knowledge.
Football is now under a microscope and is being compared to smoking cigarettes in the 1950s before the surgeon general warned about the dangers of smoking.
There are some who believe that football is facing a crisis in the future. Participation numbers are down in some places despite new rules that are designed to protect against head injuries.
For now, though, the game is dangerous and we all know it to be that way.
Ferentz demands a lot from his players, physically, mentally and emotionally. He pushes them hard because it’s always been that way.
But there is nothing that proves Ferentz intentionally pushes his players beyond their limits or that he risks exposing them to serious injury when it easily could be prevented.
Ferentz faced a public relations nightmare in 2011 after 13 of his players were diagnosed with a muscle disorder following grueling offseason workouts that left them with extreme soreness and discolored urine.
The players had rhabdomyolysis, a stress-induced syndrome that can damage cells and cause kidney damage and even failure in severe cases.
All the players fully recovered and Iowa stopped using the workout that was blamed for the outbreak.
It was a mistake, but that doesn’t mean there was anything sinister about it.
It was the same with keeping Beathard in the Outback Bowl for too long.