Mankato footballers disrupt coach's reinstatement

It should be a very interesting meeting this morning between coaches, football players and administrators at Minnesota State University- Mankato. One day after the school reinstated Todd Hoffner as its football coach, almost every player on the team refused to suit up for spring practice yesterday afternoon.

They said they want to play for the interim coach who has led them for the past two seasons: Aaron Keen.

MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Chad Courrier, who reports on M.S.U. Mavericks for the Mankato Free Press newspaper.

"This is the way they decided to voice their opinion," said Chad Courrier, Mankato Free Press sports writer, in an interview with Cathy Wurzer on MPR's Morning Edition.

Courrier thinks the players are refusing to practice for Hoffner because interim coach Keen was "the definition of a players' coach," is very personable, and brought the team success.

"And coach Hoffner just doesn't quite have that outgoing personality," Courrier said. "It doesn't make him a bad person, he's a good guy, but he just doesn't have that outgoing personality. And I think the players are concerned that with the changes there, that coach Keen would be let go."

Courrier said he thought players knew they would face a tough transition with the coach returning after two years away, but didn't guess they would refuse to practice.

"I don't think anybody really anticipated this," he said. "...I talked to (Hoffner) when he got to campus yesterday morning, and I could just tell, talking to him, that he wasn't fully prepared for the lack of support he was going to get."

"I just didn't see anybody really have their arms open ready to welcome him," Courrier added, referring to the players, the rest of the coaches and the athletic administration.

He said it will be important for Hoffner and Keen need to work together to reassure players.

"Because I think they're the only two people that can convince the players that there won't be major changes," Courrier explained. "They're the two are going to, for lack of a better word, make up. And present to the players that they've had success with both of them as coaches three years ago, and there's no reason why they can't be successful again."

He said there was friction between the two coaches with Hoffner feeling like Keen was taking credit for success that Hoffner brought, Courrier added.

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MPR News reporter Liala Helal contributed to this report.