In the wake of an 0-10 season and facing serious accusations from 25 of his players, Columbia football coach Pete Mangurian has resigned.
A winless season and 21-game losing streak aren't going to foster many positive sentiments within a football team, granted. But at Columbia University, players took a decisive stand against their coach for a laundry list of grievances.
Topping the pile of accusations are charges that coach Pete Mangurian refused to follow proper concussion protocols and respect diagnoses of concussions in his players.
In a letter signed by 25 players and delivered to the university's president, players felt constant pressure to continue playing with a concussion.
"Pete Mangurian has consistently denied the diagnoses of concussions," the letter stated, according to the Columbia Spectator. "There are several players who will speak to the fact that Mangurian told them to return to practice, that they are faking their concussions, and that they are being soft if they sit out for their concussion injury."
This is only the latest of a string of serious problems for Columbia's football program. In addition to its rampant losing, one of his players was arrested for a hate crime earlier this year, and the team's starting quarterback quit the team halfway through the season.
One day after news of the letter broke, Mangurian has decided to leave his position. The former LSU defensive tackle was a longtime NFL assistant with the Broncos, Falcons, and Patriots, among other teams. He was also the head coach at Cornell from 1998 to 2000.
Outside of the various scandals he was facing, Mangurian wasn't able to get anything going for Columbia's football program on the field. After going 3-7 in his first season, the Lions have gone winless each of the past two seasons.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the university said it found no evidence that it failed to follow any medical protocol.