Rutgers University has fired coach Mike Rice after the school's athletic director examined a video showing Rice shoving, grabbing and throwing basket balls at players in practice and using homosexual slurs.
"I am responsible for the decision to attempt a rehabilitation of Coach Rice," Rutgers athletics director Tim Pernetti said in statement. "Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community."
According to the Washington Post, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was described by a spokesman as being "deeply disturbed" by the footage, which was aired on ESPN on Tuesday's "Outside the Lines."
Eric Murdock, a former NBA player who was hired in 2010 by Rice as his director of player development, was responsible for the 30 minute piece of footage. Rice was suspended for three games last December for his actions, but the public airing of it Tuesday caused much outrage, and resulted in his firing.
"[It's] unbelievable to me that someone would feel that that technique could be successful," Murdock told ESPN. "The problem is ... that whenever Tim Pernetti came into the gym, Mike Rice was on his best behavior. ... As soon as Tim Pernetti leaves it was every kid's an [expletive], [expletive], [expletive], [expletive]. ... To see your coach physically putting his hands on players, physically kicking players, firing balls at players from point-blank range, the verbal abuse, the belittling - I was, like, in total shock that this guy wasn't immediately fired on the spot."
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