I know this is a hard thing […] He accused the Mountaineers DC of calling him “retarded” after mistake on the field, defending protesters/rioters being tear gassed, said a wall should be built by Trump to keep Hispanics out of the country and lecturing him about religion. Brad Smith - December 23, 2020. West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, placed on leave amid an investigation into allegations of mistreatment made by safety Kerry Martin Jr., apologized to … Defensive Coordinator Vic Koenning Placed on Administrative Leave Following Kerry Martin Tweets. “I am heartbroken and shocked,” Carptenter said, according to Bragg. The old school way of coaching where you could be a racist is over. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020 Brown released a statement on Tuesday night addressing the situation. Martin also wrote that his high school coach shared the opinion that Koenning has a “Slave Master” mentality. June 24, 2020, 11:59 PM • … His reasoning for not sharing previously is understandable: “…I didn’t want to bring negativity to the program but with everything going on and for him to still act this way and feel okay with saying what he said is not okay. Kerry Martin Jr. is “Here to Stay” To say that social media has not been kind to WVU safety Kerry Martin Jr. would be an understatement. According to another tweet by Bragg, Koenning has, “aggravated (Carpenter) to death since COVID started,” making sure that Martin was being fed while at home due to the coronavirus pandemic that shut down the school. In a lengthy message shared from his Twitter account, Martin laid out quite a list of grievances. 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. Additionally, on Monday Mississippi State star running back Kylin Hill threatened to leave the Bulldogs. You need to treat these young men of color with respect considering they are paying for your salary. Nobody would care two cents about Jon Carpenter the football coach if it wasn’t for people like Kerry Martin. Carpenter elaborated further, as documented in a series of tweets by Bragg. This is serious, and we will act appropriately and in the best interests of our student-athletes. New, 66 comments. Martin tweeted several paragraphs about “heinous actions” by Koenning. By. Stellar, Standard & Subpar: Kerry Martin Jr. in 2020 Schuyler Callihan As we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2020 season, we take an in-depth look at each player on the Mountaineer roster. In a tweet that included three screenshots of writing in the Notes app, Martin, among many things, claimed that his old high school coach Jon Carpenter, who had just visited with Koenning in a recruiting trip, told him that Koenning, had a, “slave master,” mentality. However, he also seems to want the university to remove the coach. On Tuesday, West Virginia defensive back Kerry Martin Jr. took to Twitter with serious accusations directed at defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. Kerry Martin Jr.: … pic.twitter.com/40hZYXjxib, He started by sharing how he has “dealt with mistreatment and racism growing up in West Virginia, but I never would have thought I’d deal with it while at a school I’m supposed to be able to call home with my position coach, Vic Koenning.”. Carpenter coached Martin, a former three-star recruit, in his time at Capital High School in Charleston, West Virginia, before he committed to the Mountaineers. Facebook; Twitter; Facebook Messenger; Pinterest; Email; print; West Virginia safety Kerry Martin Jr. said he will sit out the football season because of health concerns, he announced via social media on Wednesday.. Martin, who ranked sixth on the team in tackles as a freshman last season, said he has sickle cell and asthma. I’ve been contemplating about posting but we need a change in our program. Iowa strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy landed in hot water after being photographed wearing an OAN T-shirt. Young athletes are starting to realize they have a voice to demand change. Football; OFFICIAL: Kerry Martin Returning to West Virginia. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020. “I myself have dealt with mistreatment and racism growing up in West Virginia, but I never would’ve thought I would deal with it while at a school I’m supposed to be able to call home with my own position coach, Vic Koenning,” Martin wrote in his note. West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning, placed on leave amid an investigation into allegations of mistreatment made by safety Kerry Martin Jr., apologized to … Good for Kerry Martin Jr. Until college athletes speak up there will never be any change. I have family members that are actually mentally ill and for him to say that hurt me because it was an action we could fix, especially in that situation because I never was taught what to do in the situation I was in.”, After detailing that encounter, Martin shared that he has had meetings with head football coach Neal Brown “about the mistreatment I have received from Coach Vic.”. Koenning isn’t the first coach to be called out for racism and mistreatment recently. Enough is enough.”. According to the initial story of Martin’s accusations, which was written by EerSports on the 247Sports network, Martin alleged six different incidents that included the treatment of former safety Derrek Pitts, a derogatory term used in response to a mistake Martin made in practice and Koenning’s various political and religions positions and opinions as well as “multiple occasions” when Koenning invited Martin into his office and provided Martin with a book and selected scripture to discuss Martin’s religious conversion. Koenning said the following in part in his apology, according to FootballScoop: I want to offer my sincere apology to both KJ and the entire WVU Family. West Virginia DC Vic Koenning apologizes to Kerry Martin Jr.: 'Intent is not always clearly communicated' By ESPN.com news services via. Then, he detailed an instance where he says Koenning called him “retarded.”, “In the month of June, 3 weeks after we had reported back to campus for summer workouts, I had my first incident with him after a mistake I made on the field that he called me retarded for doing the wrong technique. In a tweet, Martin indicated that the decision was made in conjunction with his family and was not taken lightly. It’s making a difference. “We will not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination or bias on our campus, including our athletic programs. “No, Coach Vic isn’t a bad person and he does mean well in many [different] aspects but his heinous towards us over rules the good things he has done and many of us are uncomfortable with being around him.”. On Tuesday, sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. took to Twitter and accused West Virginia defensive coordinator/safeties coach Vic Koenning of a series of insensitive comments and actions at West Virginia. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. “I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light,”. which was written by EerSports on the 247Sports network. He would make remarks about the Bible and talk about religion in front of Derrek, making him want to question the things he believed.”. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr. (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020 Vic Koenning was put on administrative leave by West Virginia the day that Martin tweeted … The West Virginia Mountaineers are the latest program to be wrapped up in accusations of racial injustices in the football program. “…No, coach Vic is not a bad person and he does mean well in many (different) aspects but his heinous actions towards us (overrule) the good things he has done and many of us are uncomfortable with being around him.”. By … I think you’ve known me long enough to know that I’ve burned all my bridges in (West Virginia) high school football speaking out on racism.”. Amanda Gorman: Inauguration poet studied Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King Jr ahead of reading. “I want to thank Kerry Martin for having the courage to bring his concerns to light,” athletic director Shane Lyons said. "After speaking with Kerry, I took immediate action," he said. This is serious, and we will act appropriately and in the best interests of our student-athletes.”. It seems clear that Martin isn’t trying to bury Koenning out of any sense of malice. “Starting back to spring ball 2019 before guys started to transfer, Coach Vic has antagonized Derrek Pitts for believing in something that he didn’t believe. Finally, Martin shared that he hasn’t told anyone outside of his own family about all this previously but felt he had an obligation to share it now. Since the murder of George Floyd on May 25, other players have stepped up to call out their coaches as well. By Mike Casazza Jun 23, 12:29 PM West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. spoke out on Twitter Tuesday afternoon and accused defensive coordinator/safeties coach Vic Koenning of … It almost feels like a train wreck that I wish we could have got out in front of. I never told him that.”. Here’s Martin laying out a scenario in which he accuses Koenning of “antagonizing” a player over religious beliefs. I never intended anything I said or did to offend or be insensitive. Koenning has also allegedly talked politics with players in team meetings. Carpenter denied the claims that he ever used the phrase, “slave master,” when referring to Koenning. West Virginia will be down a safety for the 2020 season after Kerry Martin Jr. announced his decision to opt out, citing concerns over COVID-19. A few hours after the initial accusations and shortly after the publication of this story, Koenning was placed on administrative leave by the school. There have been many opinions and perspectives given after Kerry Martin shared his tweets on Tuesday afternoon. “Neal Brown told me that (Martin) said I told him that somebody had a, ‘slave owner,’ mentality,” Carpenter said, according to Tom Bragg. On Tuesday afternoon, Carpenter spoke with former West Virginia newspaper reporter Tom Bragg. I think I (am) speaking for everybody that coaches with us, but that’s new that he felt that way. Earlier today, West Virginia sophomore safety Kerry Martin Jr. took to social media voicing for change within the Mountaineer football program. Later on in the shared message, Martin wrote that Koenning has pulled the Bible out to read scriptures to him — a young man who has different religious beliefs. Heisman candidate Chuba Hubbard. Now, we’ll see what the West Virginia football program has to say about these allegations from Martin about Koenning. The sophomore has been subject to cyberbullying by the worst of Mountaineer Nation — but Martin took the opportunity today to finally fire back at some of his haters on Twitter. Poet charged by President Joe Biden with composing a … As a freshman in 2019, Martin saw … Morgantown, West Virginia – Kerry Martin, Jr., the sophomore defensive back for the West Virginia Mountaineers, was at the center of one of the largest scandals in West Virginia football program history this past offseason when he publicly accused … 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. “Heartbroken that Kerry could feel that way. Morgantown, West Virginia – Kerry Martin, Jr., the sophomore defensive back for the West Virginia Mountaineers, was at the center of one of the largest scandals in West Virginia football program history this past offseason when he publicly accused former defensive coordinator Vic Koenning of “mistreatment” and “insensitive comments.”. His issue lies with the Mississippi state flag, which bears an emblem from the Confederate flag. Wednesday morning, West Virginia safety Kerry Martin Jr. became the first Mountaineer to opt out of the upcoming season. — Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.???? © 2005-2021 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Twitter; Instagram; Home Football. “It’s hard because I love Kerry Martin. Kerry Washington is effortlessly chic in a blue and gold plaid suit as she appears on Celebrating America to honor Joe Biden's inauguration. Martin also alleges that Koenning has said of the protests, “if people didn’t want to get tear gassed, or push back by the police then they shouldn’t be outside protesting.”. “100 percent no. https://www.wowktv.com/sports/kerry-martin-jr-opts-out-of-2020-season A bit later on, Martin tweeted the following: I’m just bringing light to a bad situation, I’m NOT doing any interviews because this is a personal issue and this has nothing to do with the program as a whole! On Tuesday, West Virginia defensive back Kerry Martin Jr. took to Twitter with serious accusations directed at defensive coordinator Vic Koenning. But KJ’s tweet reminded me that sometimes intent is not always clearly communicated. The West Virginia Mountaineers are the latest program to be wrapped up in accusations of racial injustices in the football program. 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