Matt Rhule said that he would “retire” from coaching football if it meant protecting his family, after he claimed a Nebraska fan verbally accosted his teenage daughter following the Cornhuskers’ loss to Washington on Saturday.
The loss was Nebraska’s third straight and fans were frustrated by the way the team played.
Still, what Rhule said happened afterward goes far beyond booing a coach or team, when he said a fan cursed at his daughter.
“I love our fans, but a guy walked up to my 13-year-old daughter and was like, ‘F you and F your dad,’” Ruhle told reporters during his weekly press conference on Monday. “I’m not going to keep coaching if it means my kids grow up screwed up. You know, I’m not going to [keep] coaching and see my daughter shook.”
“Yeah, [the fans] get passionate, they boo, they throw a bottle. I get all that,” he continued. “I said to my daughter, ‘If daddy’s gotta retire, if I have to retire because I don’t want you guys growing up in that environment …”
Ruhle isn’t planning on leaving the program, he clarified, and he had also gotten a boost after his wife Julie asked his daughters if the criticism of their dad was becoming too much.
The couple has two daughters and a son.
Their 10-year-old daughter later texted him to encourage him not to quit.
“She was like: ‘Dad, I love Nebraska. I love living in Nebraska. I love Nebraska football. I love the players. I’m tough. This is just teaching me life lessons. Please don’t quit.’”
The 17-10 loss to Washington moved the Cornhuskers to 5-3 on the season and 2-3 against Big Ten opponents.
On Saturday night, Nebraska lost a fourth-quarter lead, which led to fans in Lincoln booing the team and some even threw objects — including bottles — onto the field.
Rhule is in his fourth season leading the Nebraska football program and has a 24-22 record.
He was formerly the head coach at Temple and Baylor before going to the NFL to coach the Panthers.
