By KENDRICK MARSHALL

Unlike some of his NFL peers who have swaggered into the HBCU coaching ranks, Eddie George has approached his job with more thought.

However, the Tennessee State coach did weigh in on the current controversy involving Bethune-Cookman coach Ed Reed and comments made by the Pro Football Hall of Famer about HBCUs and the institution where he now works.

“And, you know, it’s annoying. “He had no idea what he was getting himself into,” George explained on the Rise & Grind show. “And when you get under the hood and really see what’s going on, you do see mould in the apartments, mould in the dorm rooms, mould in the facilities, and the locker room isn’t the best.”

“It’s filthy. It is all of these factors. However, wonder what? That is why you are present, and I have chosen to do so through action. I chose to do it this way because, you know, let me roll up my sleeves and get in front of these folks. Corporations, the (school) president, lawmakers, and ask, “What are we doing here?” George, who will begin his third season as head coach at TSU this fall, stated that he wanted to contribute to the development of a strategy to advance the institution forward in order to better the student-athlete experience from the dormitories to the athletic facilities.

“Here we are in 2023, and it appears that these buildings are still from the 1950s,” George said. “It has the same mould on it as when I was there because we stayed on campus (for training camp) at Tennessee State in some of those dorms.” So it’s not a location where you can be proud because there is no plan to progress forward. And, if this is the issue, what is the strategy to address it?”

The school debuted its new weight room in late 2021, which would help the football team grow into a national competitor in the Ohio Valley Conference and among the best in the FCS. According to George, there are also plans to build a sports operations center.

George, whose son Eriq George has committed to Tennessee State, stated that he is driven to “make this work” and provide student-athletes with the on-campus quality of living that they deserve.

“I have to see that change happen.” So it’s much more than sports. “It’s just about giving these students a better quality of life,” he explained. “You know, receiving their Pell award funds on schedule. Making certain that they are well nourished. All of this has to change, you know, and football contests are one thing, but the quality of life and experience that this offers for our kids for years to come is far more essential.”

The former Ohio State Heisman Trophy recipient also stated that Tennessee State’s transformation can be accelerated if the school is able to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in state financing.

According to a study by the Office of Legislative Budget Analysis, Tennessee may have underpaid TSU for decades. According to the study, the state may owe the school between $151 million and $544 million in land-grant money.

Gov. Bill Lee said he intended to grant TSU $250 million to “improve the physical infrastructure.”

“That has the potential to be a tremendous boost for our organisation. And then we have to be responsible enough to apply that money towards infrastructure,” George said. “Put it towards a robust endowment that can continue to grow and set up other funds to deal with maintenance and day-to-day use for our student-athletes and bring in talent and teachers where we’re well staffed.” So Tennessee State has a chance.”