Many of you saw the series of tweets from former Iowa wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos earlier this week. DJK made some pointed allegations against Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz for defaming him during the NFL draft process and announced that he was writing a book about his experiences at Iowa, to be released next summer.
Johnson-Koulianos, Iowa's all-time leader in career receptions, played for the team from 2006-10. He was suspended in December 2010 after an arrest on drug-related charges and missed the team's Insight Bowl appearance. He pleaded guilty to marijuana possession in January 2011.
Iowa on Friday responded to Johnson-Koulianos' comments, releasing a statement that reads in part: "During his career at Iowa, Mr. Johnson-Koulianos had moments of success on the field. He also made some unfortunate decisions during that period of time. As we do with all student-athletes, we attempted to assist him and work through the various issues. Unfortunately, his tenure ended with him being suspended from participating in intercollegiate athletics at Iowa due to being in violation of the UI's Student-Athlete Code of Conduct."
You can see DJK's tweets, as well as additional comments he made to me this afternoon in our news story.
Not surprisingly, the situation is sparking plenty of reaction. Some of DJK's former teammates have come to his defense, including former Iowa cornerback Amari Spievey. Many other former Iowa players side with Ferentz, including former tight end Tony Moeaki. DJK tweeted that he takes full responsibility for his mistakes but feels the need to tell his story, especially after being approached about a book.
The situation raises some interesting questions about player conduct, coach control, the culture of teams and individuality. Ferentz meets with the media Monday in Iowa City for a pre-bowl event and likely will be asked about the situation.
