Former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson defends way program was run
Former Indiana coach Kevin Wilson said his football program wouldn’t have had the success it did if the program wasn’t “full of love, energy, unity and competed so well.”
The new Ohio State co-offensive coordinator spoke to media Thursday for the first time since his separation from Indiana. Wilson officially resigned from the team in December amidst allegations of player mistreatment, though athletic director Fred Glass said at the press conference announcing Wilson’s departure that there was no “smoking gun” that led to Indiana getting a new coach.
Glass also cited “philosophical differences” with the coach who signed an extension with the school in 2015.
“We wouldn’t be here doing this job if those things were true,” Wilson said when asked about allegations of mistreatement. “Again, anyone can have an opinion. I know the department looked at everything. I know this school’s looked at everything. We’re very very comfortable with what we’re doing, where we’re at and we’re excited to move forward.”
Wilson’s resignation from the team was abrupt and came after a second-straight .500 regular season. Days after he was replaced by defensive coordinator Tom Allen, the Indiana Daily Student detailed four former players’ allegations of improper treatment and support of injuries.
When asked about the training staff, Wilson spoke highly of some of his trainers.
“I think a couple of trainers were the best I’d ever been around,” Wilson said. “Outstanding … And those guys handled all the decisions.”
“Those guys ran the ship. They did a great job. Did a great job replacing kids. You take a losing program and have that kind of success, that’s a great commitment from a lot of people and those guys were awesome.”
The allegations against WIlson and his staff came 16 months after Illinois coach Tim Beckman was fired right before the start of the 2015 season after a school investigation confirmed allegations of player abuse.
Wilson was hired at Ohio State in January as former co-offensive coordinator Ed Warriner moved to Minnesota. Wilson, a former offensive coordinator at Oklahoma before becoming head coach at Indiana, is tasked with tweaking an Ohio State offense that was shut out in its College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Clemson.
In six seasons at Indiana, Wilson had a career record of 26-47 and led Indiana to bowl appearances in 2015 and 2016, its first bowl games since 2011.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
