Rutgers head coach Kyle Flood was suspended three games Wednesday and fined $50,000 after a university investigation found he broke school rules forbidding coaches from contacting professors in regards to student-athletes' grades.
Flood, in his fourth season as the head coach of the Scarlet Knights, released this statement Wednesday following the announcement of his punishment.
“Earlier today, I met with President (Robert) Barchi in his office, and he informed me of my three-game suspension and the imposed fine.
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"At Rutgers, we hold our student-athletes to high academic standards befitting a great university. We adhere to a higher standard, one that I am responsible to be aware of. I take full responsibility and accept the consequences of my actions. I care deeply about my student-athlete’s academic performance. As the head coach, when I recruit players, my responsibility to them and their families is to do all I can to make sure they leave Rutgers with a degree and are prepared for a successful life off the football field. I am proud that our program has ranked in the top 10 percent of the APR eight years in a row. That success doesn’t happen by accident. It’s due to our top-to-bottom program culture emphasizing the importance of academic success, and it’s why we have a robust academic support staff that is second to none. I will always instill in my players that they have a responsibility to themselves, their families, our university and its alumni to perform well in the classroom, and I will never stop caring about their academic performance.
"Moving forward, I will make sure I adhere to all university policies and I will place an even greater emphasis with our staff on knowing, understanding and following every university, Big Ten and NCAA rule.
"In deference to our student-athletes, coaches and staff moving forward, I will not provide further comment at this time.”