Tracy Claeys Fired by Minnesota: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

The Minnesota Golden Gophers fired head football coach Tracy Claeys on Tuesday, announced the school.

Athletic director Mark Coyle released the following statement regarding the news: 

"

I determined that the football program must move in a new direction to address challenges in recruiting, ticket sales and the culture of the program. We need strong leadership to take Gopher football to the next level and address these challenges. 

This decision is about the future of Minnesota football.

Moving forward, we need a leader who sets high expectations athletically, academically, and socially. 

"

Minnesota quarterback Mitch Leidner was not a fan of the decision, per ESPN's Brett McMurphy, "This is terrible decision by the administration. This is a pretty sad day for Gopher football. No one is happy [with the] administration right now. I don’t know who would want to be part of this program at this time."

Freshman linebacker Carter Coughlin tweeted a similar sentiment: 

McMurphy also quoted an underclassman who said, "Doesn’t matter who coach is we don’t want to play for administration. Countless people will transfer if possible."

The Golden Gophers went 9-4 in Claeys' first full season, which culminated in a Holiday Bowl win over the Washington State Cougars.

Midway through the 2015 season, Claeys replaced Jerry Kill, who retired from coaching for health reasons.

According to Christensen, Claeys signed a three-year, $4.5 million contract with the school that included a buyout of $250,000 for each year remaining on his deal at the time of his firing.

Christensen noted the relatively low buyout allowed athletic director Mark Coyle, who replaced interim AD Beth Goetz on June 1, to examine Claeys' future before.

While Minnesota's nine wins were its most since 2003, Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel reported Claeys likely sealed his fate with his outspoken support of a proposed bowl boycott by his players:

USA Today's Dan Wolken added more perspective:

On Dec. 13, Minnesota suspended 10 players for the Holiday Bowl for their connection to an alleged sexual assault that occurred Sept. 2. While no charges were filed, the school's Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action launched an investigation.

Shortly after the announcement regarding the suspensions, senior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky, speaking on behalf of his teammates, demanded the reinstatement of the 10 suspended players as well as an apology from Coyle and University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler, per Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune.

The players planned to sit out the Holiday Bowl if their demands weren't met.

On Dec. 15, Claeys posted a tweet that backed his players:

The players subsequently relented after reading the 80-page report from the university's investigation.

Though Claeys' firing comes after most of the top head-coaching candidates have either secured new jobs or recommitted to their current programs, the Golden Gophers should have options.

Among them, former LSU head coach Les Miles remains available. A native of Elyria, Ohio, and a graduate of the University of Michigan, he'd likely consider coaching in the Big Ten.

Minnesota may also be interested in pursuing Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck, whose Broncos finished 13-1 following a loss to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl on Monday.