To begin, what is taking West Virginia University so long with their “investigation?” What kind of investigation could they possibly be doing? Either defensive coordinator Vic Koenning has said and done what Kerry Martin accused him on Twitter of, or he hasn’t.
All it takes is calling up a few defensive players and asking. Here’s the investigation that I’d do: “Hey Darius, how’s it going, man? Did Coach Vic say what Kerry accused him of? Okay, cool. Is your brother with you? Okay great, put him on. Dante, did you hear Coach Vic say any of this stuff that’s on Twitter? What are the other guys on the team saying?”
Done. Investigation over. Call up the Stills brothers, see what they say, and then move on from there. This whole investigation nonsense is ridiculous.
Based on the players’ reactions on social media, they side with what Kerry Martin said. None of the players came out and spoke up for Coach Koenning. And remember, Martin said that “many of his teammates feel uncomfortable with” Koenning.
This is not a fixable problem. Too much has been said and unfortunately the damage is done. A player-coach relationship is based on trust and respect, and for whatever reason, Koenning has lost that with his players.
How could Koenning ever be himself in the locker room or on the practice field ever again with players watching and dissecting his every move and word? Coaches can’t walk on eggshells around their players. How could he ever get tough with his players when they need someone to be tough with them? It’s just not ever going to work.
Although Athletic Director Shane Lyons and West Virginia University will take their time and do their due diligence, they will ultimately decide that Koenning will have to be fired. They will thank him for his service, wish him well and move on.
There is no doubt that Koenning is truly sorry and likely blind-sided by Martin’s comments, but there’s simply no coming back from something like this. In his apology on social media yesterday, Koenning said, “We will get through this together and be stronger as a team for it.”
That sounds like wishful thinking on his part. Koenning has enjoyed a fantastic career in football, but unfortunately it is now likely over.
