Rutgers football coach Kyle Flood is being investigated by the school for potentially impermissible contact with a faculty member regarding one of his players, according to an NJ.com report.
Flood allegedly emailed the professor about Nadir Barnwell, a junior cornerback who is reportedly in danger of being declared academically ineligible. According to NJ.com, Rutgers' investigation is centered on the contents of Flood's email, which was sent from a personal account rather than his university one, to determine whether there was any wrongdoing.
Flood did not ask the professor to change the player's grade, a source told ESPN's Joe Schad, but addressed what the player could do to improve his grade.
Any contact with a professor that could be deemed an attempt to change a player's grade would be considered a violation of NCAA rules. The university's policy requires all communication with faculty members about a student-athlete's academics to go through the team's appointed academic adviser. It's not clear whether there are penalties for breaking that policy.
Flood addressed the allegations after Tuesday's practice and said the only times he has reached out to professors have been to show support for their decisions or to ask whether there is a way for a player to earn a better grade on his own merit. He didn't say whether he had contacted any professors in regard to Barnwell specifically.
"This practice [of students improving their grades] is not unusual at Rutgers," Flood said. "Many students all over campus receive what are called 'T grades' doing working outside of when the class ends that semester to earn a better grade."
Flood told reporters he didn't like the tone of the original report.
"I think that article not only insults my integrity, but it insults the integrity of our faculty," he said. "I've come to realize that our faculty here at Rutgers is beyond reproach, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them."