Former Miami players stunned by dismissal of popular strength coach

Published Jan. 2, 2016 4:53 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

Miami Hurricanes fans, teammates, and former players were all excited about what newly appointed head coach Mark Richt would be able to do at The U. But, after one of his decisions, it seems that some Miami alumni aren’t very happy with him.

Athletic director Blake James informed Miami’s veteran strength and conditioning coach Andreu Swasey that he would not be retained by Richt. Swasey joined the University of Miami in 2000 and trained some of the biggest names out of Coral Gables, including Andre Johnson, Ed Reed, Santana Moss, Jimmy Graham and Edgerrin James. These former players, among others, were known to return to the Miami campus to work out with Swasey in the offseason. 

After Swasey's dismissal, ex-Hurricane stars voiced their disappointment and disapproval.

From the Miami Herald:

Swasey himself was understandably upset by the news:

Richt, who had been the coach at Georgia for the past 15 seasons, said the decision on Swasey was "very difficult."

"He's a very good coach, very well respected and I respect him as well," Richt said. "But sometimes when there's transition there's people that you have a comfort level with, that you know what you're getting.

"And there's more than one way to skin a cat. I have a lot of respect for coach and what he's done for this university, but I do feel comfortable that we're bringing in some outstanding people who will get the job done."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

share