"I knew Ferentz game me the best shot at the NFL, but he hurt my feelings in the process..."
"I may have made the league, but looking back I wish I could have had it both ways...of being an undsiciplined moron with a coach who felt my pain all day long but also becoming a disciplined football warrior!"
I doubt Ferentz is a racist in the original sense of the word. More likely he is just extremely insensitive.
Iowa currently has 4 black assistants. It looks like the scholarship athlete breakdown is ~50/50 with a few latinos sprinkled in.
But, this is just freaking rich!
1. Iowa routinely gets 2 and 3 star recruits drafted. I bet that per capita, Ferentz got more drafted than any other active coach.
2. Unheralded recruits and walk-ons are on a short leash everywhere.
3. Many coaches of both colors prohibit piercings, do-rags, loud music, profanity, clothing representing drugs/ violence/ misogeny/ alcohol abuse. The principal is discipline.
4. The Big Ten now guarantees 4 years of scholarship. If somebody cannot graduate with all the tutors, select classes, preferential scheduling...the person is either incredibly dumb and/or undisciplined.
5. If they were harshing on an all-conference WR, he must have been a real PITA.
Frankly, being a college coach is an extremely challenging job. Your livlihood depends on mostly undisciplined, coddled, unintelligent the genetic lottery winners. Whites and Blacks. Unlike the military, they cannot be imprisoned for disobedience.
Iowa is even tougher. Most know, but the state and region produce little talent. They fight with Wiscy, Neb and MSU for the scraps the big 3 and ND leave behind. They end up going South and West for more scraps.
Ferentz probably takes chances on characters the bigger programs will not. Nor surprisingly, he probably must enforce on more characters.