Howard University football has already seen its quarterback, Caylin Newton, along with three teammates, announce that they’ll be transferring and now there are rumblings of potential abuse by head coach Ron Prince.
HBCU Gameday says it has been contacted by several parents of Howard football players who allege Prince has been verbally abusive and engaged in intimidating behavior. Some parents claim Prince sent injured players home without treatment.
A copy of a letter obtained by HBCU Gameday was sent by an anonymous parent who said they sent the letter to HU president Wayne Fredrick, director of athletics Kerry Davis, the MEAC and the NCAA on Sept. 5.
The letter asks why athletes are held to a “very high standard” but coaches are not.
“Ron Prince has been threatening, hostile, abusive and disrespectful of the young men and coaching staff at Howard University since his arrival,” the letter states. “If a student displayed the same behavior towards another player, student, instructor or person in the community he/she would be dealt with accordingly.”
The letter also contends that most of the players have remained quiet because they fear retaliation, alleging that Prince called the players “sorority sisters” for reporting anything to the administration.
“The pressures of being a student/athlete especially on are enormous, this is not a complaint about not getting playing time or being able to travel to the next game this is about the emotional wellbeing of these young men,” the letter explains.
The parents that HBCU Gameday spoke with also fear retaliation, and for that reason asked to remain anonymous.
“This isn’t about playing time,” one parent told HBCU Gameday. “This is about the psyche of young black men. We owe them better than that.”
