Kyle Flood Suspended: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Rutgers head football coach Kyle Flood has been fined $50,000 and suspended for the Scarlet Knights' next three games, according to a Wednesday report by NJ Advance Media's Keith Sargeant. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reported Norries Wilson, who previously served as Columbia's head coach, will be the interim head coach at Rutgers while Flood is suspended.

Flood's suspension is the disciplinary action handed down by Rutgers' Board of Governors, which met last Friday to discuss the institutional policy Flood violated in reaching out to a professor about the eligibility status of a player.

Ralph D. Russo of the Associated Press provided a statement from Flood: 

Junior Scarlet Knights cornerback Nadir Barnwell had allegedly been struggling in the classroom and was in danger of becoming academically ineligible since May, per Sargeant's report. Barnwell played in 10 games, making six starts, last season and is a criminal justice major.

Rutgers posted a finalized report of the university's internal investigation on the matter. An email exchange between Flood and the professor showed Flood requesting a grade change for his player.

Colin Becht of SI.com posted a copy of the email in question:     

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports weighed in on Wednesday's news:

Nicole Auerbach of USA Today provided details from a conversation between Flood and an adviser:

It's been a tough 2015 campaign already for the Rutgers program through just two games. Leading wide receiver Leonte Carroo was charged with assault in an alleged domestic violence incident following this past Saturday's 37-34 loss to Washington State.

Carroo has been suspended indefinitely, and Flood has already had to dismiss five players from the team for various legal troubles.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has even addressed the negative attention Rutgers has received, albeit in a rather dismissive tone.

"I certainly have a lot more important things to do than worry about what wide receiver was suspended for a few games recently. Being governor of New Jersey and running for president is a little more important than that," said Christie, per the Record's Melissa Hayes.

Flood will be absent as Rutgers' Big Ten slate begins, starting with Penn State on the road followed by home matchups against Kansas and the AP's fourth-ranked Michigan State Spartans.

Having yielded 559 total yards to Washington State in its last contest, Rutgers will have its work cut out in getting off on the right foot in conference play. Quarterback Chris Laviano being without his most explosive target in Carroo will only exacerbate the Scarlet Knights' problems on top of their coach's ban.