A storm has been brewing within Liberty Football over the past year. You may not have noticed it, between the press releases, the spin, and the big announcements about the team’s move to FBS. However, a discord has been building within the program that has led to several players (6, at the time of this column) leaving Liberty. There has been speculation about off the field issues. There have been arrests, law suits, Title IX Kangaroo Courts, scandalous stories and dismissals. So what is causing such high turnover in a program that appears to be on its way to new heights?
I talked to a lot of people connected to the team in preparation for this piece. None of them wanted to be named, but all of them had something to say on this issue. There were different opinions and details shared, but one thing was consistent no matter who I spoke with: the players don’t feel that the coaching staff, or school have their backs. Or as one player put it, “the first sign of trouble, the coaches cast the players to the wolves.”
This sort of theme runs counter to the narrative so often carried in modern collegiate athletics. Usually, we hear of the coaches covering for the troubled player, right or wrong. However, it appears under Coach Gill, the opposite is true. “Coach Gill is out of touch and those personal relationships with players aren’t there,” said another player. There is a lot to unpack on all of this, but let’s start by answering this question. Is this a purge of players that don’t “fit the Liberty culture” by the coaching staff? Or is this some sort of exodus from a team culture that has been poisoned?
I asked about the possibility that Coach Gill and company are moving out problem athletes that aren’t living up to their obligation to follow the Liberty Way. As one player put it, “…everyone thinking Gill is “purging” these guys is a joke. He’s begging these kids to stay.” Well, not much ambiguity there. However it does seem that a good number of the players leaving the program do have a problem following the rules. The details of the Cam Jackson lawsuit bring to light numerous examples of moral impropriety by players. Javon Frazier apparently asked for his release just prior to being arrested for felony level drug possession. Chris Turner was also recently arrested for possession of marijuana.
All of this raises questions such as exactly what type of players are the coaching staff recruiting, and do they understand the expectations of Liberty University when they commit to come to the mountain? From another conversation with a recent LU player, “In my experience a lot of guys didn’t know the full extent of the rules until they were on campus.” Hmm. You shouldn’t need to read the entire Liberty Way to know that illegal drug use and rampant sexual promiscuity are discouraged at a Christian university. But maybe that’s just me? So what are the coaches telling recruits about the environment at Liberty? “I don’t know what they tell the recruits, but I don’t think they really explain to them the way it is here.” Interesting, to say the least.
So the narrative that is coming together is this: Coach Gill and his staff appear to be recruiting athletes that do not fit the mold of a Liberty student, and in doing so are failing to accurately represent the environment on campus. When these players get here, those same coaches refuse to back them at the first sign of trouble. As one player put it, “People are leaving because they know the coaches aren’t in their corner and they know the culture within the locker room is terrible…for me I dreaded going into the FOC (Football Operations Center) every day.” This isn’t from one guy with an axe to grind. These stories pop up over and over again.
Certainly much of this stems from the Cam Jackson dismissal by the University. For those unfamiliar with the story, see here and here. Long story short, Mr. Jackson was falsely accused of sexual assault, dismissed from the team, and removed from Liberty University by an unjust Title IX Kangaroo Court. All this despite Lynchburg Police finding no evidence of a crime being committed. Now, Jackson was clearly in violation of school rules, and should have been punished according to those rules, but not by some unaccountable abuse of Title IX. The Jackson situation is egregious, and it is clear that many players feel Coach Gill should have gone to bat for Cam. According to people I spoke with though, this was just one of several situations that have upset the locker room.
Another factor in at least some player dissatisfaction stems from the nature of FBS transition. “…others are leaving because this year doesn’t count for anything,” as one player put it. As Liberty transitions, they are no longer eligible for the FCS playoffs, and will not be eligible for bowl games until 2020. While as fans we would prefer guys to stay through the transition, you cannot exactly blame competitive athletes for wanting to play for a championship somewhere. Still, if the team culture were better, and the players had fully bought in to the mission of Liberty University, it would be difficult to imagine these sorts of transfers.
All of this sheds a lot of light on the situation, but this is an opinion column. So here is my take.
It seems as if Coach Gill, already being on the hot seat for mediocre on field performance, is seeking to maintain his position by distancing himself from his players when they break the law as well as the rules of the university. I fully support getting tough on players who refuse to abide by the Liberty Way. However, as long as the coaching staff is recruiting players who don’t want to live by the rules that LU has set, no one should be surprised when these players get frustrated and leave.
This situation begs perhaps the biggest questions about who we are as a University. Who should be representing Liberty on the field? What sort of environment do we want for our students and faculty on campus? If Coach Gill and company believe that recruiting players who aren’t on board with the mission and culture of Liberty University is what is necessary to be competitive on the field, then so be it. However, it seems like an accurate depiction of life and expectations on campus by coaches prior to offering scholarships, would yield much more positive results, even if fewer 2 and 3 star athletes arrive in Lynchburg. It would be far easier for the coaching staff to have the backs of their players, there would be fewer surprises, fewer arrests, and most importantly fewer incidents that compromise the safety and Christian environment of Liberty University.
