Eastern Michigan Coach Fired After Inappropriate Language Used Against Team

Eastern Michigan coach Ron English was fired after a tape revealed him using inappropriate language towards his team. The school did not dive into specifics, but said he was fired because of their commitment to the players.

“We hold our coaches and staff to high standards of professionalism and conduct and there is no place, particularly in a student environment, where this language is appropriate,” Eastern Michigan athletic director Heather Lyke said Saturday in a statement published on the school’s athletics website. “The statements made by Coach English are absolutely unacceptable.

“My decision to make a change in leadership of our football program was the culmination of a lot of factors including the comprehensive review of our program, the competitive performance and this tape,” Lyke said in the statement. “Our primary interest is in the well being and success of our student-athletes and this will continue to be our priority in every decision we make and every action we take.

My focus moving forward is on the quality of our student-athletes’ experience as well as the search process for the next leader of our football program.”

English was fired as defensive coordinator from the University of Michigan in 2007 when Rich Rodriguez took over for Lloyd Carr. He spent 2008 as defensive coordinator in Louisville and then was hired at EMU in 2009. He said he would change EMU’s culture, but it was not easy. They went 0-18 in his first season, but they did go .500 in the 2011 season. 

This season, they are 1-8 with three games left. They are 111th nationally in scoring and 122nd in scoring defense. Overall, English was 11-46. Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Stan Parrish was named their interim coach.