Columbia University Football Coach Pete Mangurian Resigns
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Columbia University head football coach Pete Mangurian has resigned from his post, the university announced Friday.
University President Lee C. Bollinger announced Friday that the university had accepted Mangurian's resignation, "because we have all come to the conclusion that it would be in the best interests of Columbia Athletics."
The statement continued: "Under (director of intercollegiate athletics and physical education) Dianne Murphy, Columbia teams have built a new winning tradition across our men's and women's sports and we expect no less of our football program. We are committed to providing our dedicated student athletes with the best possible opportunities to succeed both on and off the field. So we will now look forward to completing consultant Rick Taylor's expert review of our football operations that will help us chart a new direction under a new coach."
The Columbia statement did not go into further detail about why Mangurian had decided to resign. But multiple published reports indicated that it followed allegations that Columbia football players were mistreated.
A Columbia Spectator report on Thursday said 25 players had issued a letter to Bollinger, Board of Trustees chairman Jonathan Schiller, and former Board of Trustees chairman Bill Campbell, taking issue with the way Mangurian allegedly handled relationships between older and younger players, and claiming that he had made them play through concussions, among other allegations.
"Pete Mangurian has consistently denied the diagnoses of concussions," the Spectator quoted the letter. "There are several players who will speak to the fact that Mangurian told them to return to practice, that they are faking their concussions, and that they are being soft if they sit out for their concussion injury."
The letter was later withdrawn, the newspaper reported.
Mangurian has also been criticized for his handling of the team during what is now a 21-game losing streak, the newspaper reported.
Mangurian had served as the head football coach at Columbia since 2011. He previously served as an assistant coach for the Denver Broncos, the Giants, the Atlanta Falcons, the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also served as head football coach for Cornell from 1998 until 2000.
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