Akrum Wadley, a former Iowa running back, spoke about being mistreated by Hawkeyes coaches on Monday, noting that “playing for Iowa football was a living nightmare.”
Wadley played for Iowa from 2014 to 2017, and in a statement, he mentioned head coach Kirk Ferentz, as well as offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz and former strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle as some of the coaches involved.
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“I feel like playing for Iowa football was a living nightmare,” Wadley said in a statement on Facebook. “I’m done giving them power over me. But if I could do it again, I wish I had never played for the Iowa Hawkeyes. I would not recommend to any future athlete or parent to send their child to play the Iowa Hawkeyes under the current training staff.
“My hope is that my story and that of my teammates will save others from the experiences, truths and mistakes of playing low and for a coaching staff in Iowa that did and said nothing to stop the harassment and racism that happened to us under Chris Doyle, [offensive coordinator] Brian Ferentz and Kirk Ferentz. What you see on television is not what you get behind closed doors. “
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Wadley recalled a time during the winter when he wore a Nike fleece hat that coaches handed out to their players. He said that at the end of practice, he liked to wear the hat because he did not want to get sick. And Wadley once said that when he was running towards the facility, he encountered Brian Ferentz, who said, “Hi Akrum, are you going to rob a gas station?”
He added that it happened a few more times, but the only difference was that Ferentz said, “Akrum, are you going to steal a liquor store?” In response, Wadley said all he did was shake his head because he knew if he would respond. it would result in some kind of unfair punishment.
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Wadley admitted that he turned to drinking while in college because it helped him deal with his coaches’ treatment because “it became the only thing he could trust.”
“Game day was the only day that was a relief for me, but that even became difficult based on what happened during the previous week,” Wadley said.
