Report: Kyle Flood was told not to contact faculty member
Kyle Flood was reportedly told not to contact a faculty member regarding a football player.
According to NJ,com, two university officials said Flood was told by academic support staff that he should not directly email a lecturer. Flood is being investigated by the university for emailing a member of Rutgers’ faculty regarding cornerback Nadir Barnwell, who was reportedly on the edge of being academically ineligible for the 2015 season.
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The two officials, who requested anonymity because the investigation into whether Flood violated university policy is ongoing, said the inquiry isn’t simply about an email sent from Flood’s private account.
“It’s about Kyle trying to circumvent the process and trying to get the kid eligible,” one of the university officials told NJ Advance Media.
Flood was asked about the report after Wednesday’s practice. Here’s what he had to say.
“So what you’re saying to me is, that a process that I’ve been told from the university not to comment on was commented on by people from the university?” Flood said via ScarletNation.com. “I’m going to continue to respect the process and I won’t have any further comment until the end of the process.”
Directly contacting a lecturer to pressure about a player’s academics is against NCAA rules. Flood has said any correspondence between himself and a member of Rutgers’ faculty would be supportive and to inquire about the opportunity to earn a better grade (which seems to run close to being against NCAA rules). Flood also said that the practice of contacting faculty members was not unusual.
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According to the officials quoted in the NJ.com story, the issues surrounding Barnwell cropped up in the late spring. He was told that he wasn’t going to be able to pass a course and academic support staff — and Barnwell himself — asked to no avail if there would be any way to achieve a better grade in the class.
“The communication with him was clear as to the status of Nadir’s grade and he still decided he could fight it,” said one official, who claimed Flood “had a long paper trail of information” and still contacted the professor.
Another official said: “It was already done and everybody in the program knew it. Kyle was told, ‘It’s done, leave it alone.’ ”
It was previously reported that the lecturer Flood emailed was likely a part-time faculty member. It’s unclear what punishment he could face if he’s found to have violated any protocol.
Rutgers opens the season on September 5 against Norfolk State. Flood said Tuesday he would make a decision on his team’s quarterback at halftime of the game.
For more Rutgers news, visit ScarletNation.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
