NCAA Football Coach Suspended for Comparing Ref’s Non-Call to Rape

UMass football coach Mark Whipple has been suspended for one week without pay.

Head coach Mark Whipple of the Massachusetts Minutemen watches the players warm up prior to the game against the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Head coach Mark Whipple of the Massachusetts Minutemen watches the players warm up prior to the game against the Florida International Golden Panthers on December 2, 2017 at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
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It was the ultimate personal foul: After comparing a missed pass interference call to sexual assault, UMass football coach Mark Whipple has been suspended for one week without pay.

Following his team’s 58-42 road loss to Ohio on Saturday, Whipple complained to reporters about a flag he thought should have been thrown on a defensive back for interfering with a Minutemen receiver.

“I’ve been in the SEC, I’ve been in the NFL and I’ve never seen anything so bad: six holds against none until at the end,” Whipple said. “We had a chance there with 16 down and they rape us, and he picks up the flag.”

Following the comments on Saturday, UMass suspended Whipple on Sunday.

A fifth-year coach at UMass, Whipple is 14-40 with the school since 2014.

“I am deeply sorry for the words I used on Saturday to describe a play in our game,” Whipple said in a prepared statement. “It is unacceptable to make use of the word ‘rape’ in the way I did and I am very sorry for doing so.

“It is not a term that should ever be used in the manner I did. It represents a lack of responsibility on my part as the leader of this program and a member of this university’s community, and I am disappointed with myself that I made this comparison when commenting after our game.”

UMass will take on South Florida on Saturday without Whipple on the sidelines. Defensive coordinator Ed Pinkham will serve as acting head coach.

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