BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 29: Kevin Wilson the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers disagrees with an officall in the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Memorial Stadium on October 29, 2016 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NCAABy Jay Rigdon on

In a very surprising move, Indiana is dismissing football coach Kevin Wilson.

Wilson went 6-6 for the second straight year, guiding the Hoosiers to their first back-to-back bowl appearances in 25 years.

While Indiana has certainly not been a powerhouse program under Wilson, it’s important to keep the proper perspective. Success at Indiana is a relative thing, and going 6-6 and being competitive in the Big Ten East, probably the best division in college football, is pretty close to the realistic ceiling of the program. Beyond that, Indiana just signed Wilson to a six-year contract extension after last season.

Therefore it’s not surprising to read early reports suggesting the catalyst for Wilson’s ouster is likely something off-the-field.

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach, meanwhile, is reporting that Wilson’s treatment of injured players, especially those with concussions, may have factored into this dismissal:

Schlabach and Chantelle Jennings later released this report on ESPN.com, elaborating on those tweets:

A former Indiana player’s father told ESPN on Thursday that his son suffered a concussion in practice shortly before the 2015 season and was rushed back to workouts, causing his symptoms to intensify.

“He was out about a week and they started a normal concussion regiment, in which he was allowed to work out for about 20 minutes and gradually increase it,” the former player’s father said. “But after he worked out for 20 minutes, they had him run about six miles. After that, my son was feeling fine. But when he went home, he started throwing up and his symptoms went haywire.”

This would sadly make more sense, especially if Wilson’s management opened the school up for potential legal liability. And though it’s impossible to make this connection from the outside, backup quarterback Zander Diamont did just announce his decision to leave the team, and cited concussion worries while doing so.

Diamont refuted the notion that his comments and the allegations against Wilson were linked.

The move is a surprise to more than just fans and observers. Here’s starting quarterback Richard Lagow:

This is certainly bad news for the program, just as it had maybe started to turn a corner on the field. The Hoosiers are going to a bowl game, though it remains to be seen who will serve as the interim coach. But that’s secondary to what could be a few months of very ugly headlines, if the investigation progresses further.

About Jay Rigdon

Jay is a columnist at Awful Announcing. He is not a strong swimmer. He is probably talking to a dog in a silly voice at this very moment.

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