Rutgers University has expelled its men's basketball coach, Mike Rice, Wednesday, a day after ESPN aired a video showing him verbally and physically abusing players .
The video went viral on the Internet and sparked outrage among players, fans and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Christie said that Rice's suspension was the right call due to his offensive behavior.
"The video of Rice, released on Tuesday, by the ESPN sports network, showed a chronic and pervasive pattern of disturbing behavior," said Rutgers President Robert Barchi."Coach Rice cannot continue to serve effectively in a position that demands the highest levels of leadership, responsibility and public accountability."
The video shows numerous clips of Rice at practice during his three years at the university firing basketballs at players, hitting them in the back, legs, feet and shoulders, grabbing players by their jerseys, yanking them around the court and yelling obscenities and gay accusations.
Rice, 44, was in his third season with the Scarlet Knights. He apologized for his unacceptable behavior to the players, administration, Rutgers University, fans and his family.
Basketball coaches loosing their tempers is not an uncommon sight, especially during 'Big East Conference' as the tournament determines the top U.S. college basketball teams.
Fans and coaches want their respective teams to perform well as big money and university reputations are at stake.
Last November, Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti was given a copy of the tape by a former employee and an independent investigator was hired to review the video excerpts
Rice was then shown the video, which was not revealed to the public at that time. He was subsequently suspended for three games, fined $75,000 and was asked to undergo anger-management therapy.
Following this review, the management decided to closely monitor his behavior.
Once his suspension period ended, he was again retained as the team's head coach. Rice promised the management that he will try to work on his temper.
The university has terminated all their last four coaches for poor decisions and controversies.
