West Virginia defensive coordinator Vic Koenning released an apology late Wednesday afternoon after accusations from Kerry Martin.
Martin accused Koenning of “heinous actions” after allegedly lecturing him on religion, calling him “retarded,” talking about rioters and protesters getting gassed and how America needs to build a wall to keep out Hispanics. After the accusations, Koenning was placed on leave. Now he’s responded. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
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
— Kerry “KJ” Martin Jr.???? (@KMartinJr11) June 23, 2020
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. I never intended anything I said or did to offend or be insensitive. But KJ’s tweet reminded me that sometimes intent is not always clearly communicated. I’ve devoted the last 30 plus years of my life to serving young men through coaching. I’ve always tried to see things from the perspective of others. I’m not perfect – but I’m also not the person many on social media have painted me to be. I’m still learning every day and this is an opportunity for me to listen, learn and improve.
As I said from the moment these accusations first appeared, there was a very good chance Koenning would be placed on leave and have to apologize.
That’s exactly what has now happened after Martin’s accusations of “heinous actions.”
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I also said that Koenning’s actions almost certainly don’t meet the bar for coach Neal Brown to fire him. Should a coach be lecturing a player on religion on politics?
No. Should he call a player “retarded” during practice? No, but I’m not sure he’s done anything that would even come close to making him deserve to lose his job.
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Brown will almost certainly have a firm and fair chat with him, make it clear what his role is and go forward from there.
After reading the whole statement, it seems like Koenning is ready to wait for the investigation to finish up and then return.
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People need to understand the climate we’re living in, and they have to understand that it’s sometimes better to say nothing at all. Koenning’s job is to coach football games, and that’s it.
He needs a reminder of that, but he doesn’t need to lose his job. That’d be a gross overreaction.