Kevin Wilson on Player Treatment in 2009: "As a coach in an authority position, you get questioned"

Indiana will reportedly announce the firing of Kevin Wilson at a press conference this evening. Several current players were asked about “Wilson’s treatment of players in meetings with athletics department officials and university lawyers during the past two weeks,” according to ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.

Cleveland Browns center Gabe Ikard, who played for offensive coordinator Wilson at Oklahoma, shared an heated incident that took place between he and the coach during practice.

Wilson’s comments in a 2009 piece in the Oklahoman following player treatment incidents involving Mark Mangino and Mike Leach — both of whom worked on Bob Stoops’ staff — support the idea that he takes old-school approach.

" “This is a tough, combative, competitive game,” said OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson, who coached with neither Mangino nor Leach. “You’re trying to teach guys how to play hard every day. That’s a foreign language in our world, to come to work and do your best every day.” Call it a clash of cultures. Coaches haven’t changed much over the decades; homes have. Discipline is less, respect for authority is less, accountability is less. Then Coach Drill Sergeant starts yelling, and the field’s on fire. “More than anything we live in a society where kids aren’t challenged as much,” Wilson said. “Moms and dads are at school complaining to principal because there’s an issue with the teacher. Most of us grew up where your dad would wear you out if you came home with a bad report card. Now we question authority. As a coach in an authority position, you get questioned.” "

Considering Wilson has led the Hoosiers to bowl eligibility in two straight years and signed a six-year extension this January, there’s likely something more to the story than on-field issues. If the pending press conference builds upon Schlabach’s report, it won’t come as a major surprise given Wilson and Ikard’s statements.