Report: Several former players, staffers come forward about toxic environment under P.J. Fleck

Several former Minnesota players and staff remembers reportedly described a toxic environment run by head coach P.J. Fleck.

In a series of interviews with Front Office Sports, former players described intimidation tactics and a “cult” like environment within the football program. These is the latest revelations about a Big Ten football program in light of the Northwestern hazing scandal, resulting in the firing of Pat Fitzgerald.

The toxic environment encouraged out-of-bounds behavior. And it wasn’t the first time Fleck did so.

“Over the last month, Front Office Sports interviewed several former players and staff members about Fleck’s six seasons as the Gophers’ head coach,” FOS’ AJ Perez wrote. “They described an environment fraught with intimidation and toxicity and referenced the ‘Fleck Bank; — a system that allowed players with enough ‘coins’ to get away with positive drug tests, and other violations of team rules …

Unprompted, the term “cult” was used by multiple former players and former staff members to describe Fleck’s “Row the Boat” culture spelled out in the so-called “Fleck Book” that players are given when they join the team. Fleck said he developed the “Row the Boat” philosophy — one he laid out in a 2021 book of the same name — that was an approach he also used at Western Michigan.”

This story will be updated.

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