Athletic Director Shane Lyons recently released a statement stating that current West Virginia Mountaineers defensive coordinator Vic Koenning has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation after sophomore Kerry Martin released a series of notes on Twitter alleging misconduct and unprofessionalism by Koenning.
“I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light. We will not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination or bias on our campus, including our athletic programs. Coach Vic Koenning has been placed on administrative leave effective immediately, and the department will work with the appropriate parties to conduct a thorough investigation into these allegations. This is serious, and we will act appropriately and in the best interests of our student-athletes.”
The statement by Lyons comes after Martin, a sophomore safety, alleges that Koenning starting in the spring of 2019 has mistreated his players. Martin alleges that Koenning antagonized Derrick Pitts regarding Pitts’ religion. Martin also alleges that the defensive coordinator called him retarded during a practice for making a mistake.
Martin says he approached head coach Neal Brown, who has not currently issued a statement on the matter, and had meetings about the mistreatment by Koenning. Martin alleges that Koenning was adamant supporter of President Donald Trump and that they should “build the wall and keep Hispanics out of the country” despite having a Hispanic player in the meeting room.
Martin’s tweet continued claiming that Koenning also said that if protestors didn’t want to be tear gassed they shouldn’t “be outside protesting”.
I’ve been contemplating about posting but we need a change in our program. pic.twitter.com/40hZYXjxib
— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020
This a developing story that continues as players find their voices on their team. Last week Oklahoma State Cowboys running back Chubba Hubbard claimed he wouldn’t play for head coach Mike Gundy after a tweet showed Gundy wearing an alt-right shirt for OAN (One America News) Network. OAN has been highly critical of the current Black Lives Matter movement. Yesterday, Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Kylin Hill said he would not play for the Bulldogs until the state of Mississippi changed its flag.