DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Pro Football Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed walked away from Bethune-Cookman in tears Saturday following a 15-minute goodbye in front of players and parents.
Reed made it clear he wasn't leaving on his own accord.
The Ed Reed Foundation announced on social media Saturday that the university declined to ratify Reed's contract and "won't make good on the agreement we had in principle, which had provisions and resources best needed to support the student athletes."
The decision came less than a week after Reed ripped the school in a profanity-laced social media post that went viral. He accused Bethune-Cookman of having a dirty campus and failing to clean his office before he arrived. He threatened to leave then, saying he was having to "clear out trash" while not even being under contract.
Reed apologized the following day for "my lack of professionalism" and addressed it again Saturday.
"I'm a good man, not perfect," he said. "We all make mistakes, and I apologized for mine."
Reed and his foundation affirmed their commitment to helping kids and "changing lives for the better, as we've done for 20 years."
Reed played at Miami and spent the past three years in an administrative role with the Hurricanes, first as chief of staff under former coach Manny Diaz for two years and this past year as a senior advisor under coach Mario Cristobal.
Reed was a five-time All-Pro safety, a member of the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year and made nine Pro Bowls. He had 64 career interceptions, led the league in that stat three times and scored 13 non-offense touchdowns in his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
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