Former running back Akrum Wadley: 'I wish I never played for the Iowa Hawkeyes'

Former Iowa Hawkeyes running back Akrum Wadley has spoken out about his negative experience with the program, citing racist and abusive behavior from the coaching staff during his time with the team.

"My time at Iowa has done things to me that I am not going to discuss because knowing how these people treated me and other black athletes, I am done giving them power over me," Wadley wrote. "I wish I never played for the Iowa Hawkeyes. I would not encourage any future athletes or parents to send your kids to go play for the Iowa Hawkeyes under that current coaching staff."

Wadley played for Iowa from 2014 to 2017, racking up nearly 3,000 rushing yards over four seasons. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans in 2018 after going undrafted but never played a game for the team. In his statement, he detailed some of the abusive behavior he faced from coaches, including head coach Kirk Ferentz taking away his meal card and offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz making racist comments about him.

"My hope is my story and those of my teammates save others from the experiences, truths, and mistake of playing under and for a coaching staff at Iowa that did and said nothing to stop the bullying and racism from happening to us under Chris Doyle, Brian Ferentz, and Kirk Ferentz," Wadley wrote. "What you see on TV isn’t what you get behind closed doors."

Iowa recently parted ways with football strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle after allegations about his behavior surfaced. Since then, more allegations against the program have emerged and Wadley is the latest former player to share his negative experience at Iowa.