Rutgers University officials are lying about how they handled a football player’s allegations he was bullied by a coach, the student’s mom said Saturday.
Defensive back Jevon Tyree has accused defensive coordinator Dave Cohen of calling him a “p- - -y” and “b- - -h” — and threatening to head-butt him — in a profanity-filled rant during a spring study-hall session.
Rutgers, whose men’s basketball coach Mike Rice was fired this year amid bullying allegations, said the football coach apologized the next day and Athletic Director Julie Hermann twice spoke to Tyree’s father and “confirmed the matter was resolved to his satisfaction.”
But Clarice Tyree insists that the college “fabricated” the conversations — and that Hermann has actually avoided meeting the family for weeks.
“She has never had any contact with us,” the mother told The Post. “It was a shock to see the university misrepresent this entire situation and print it as an official response.
“When I sat and thought about it, I realized it’s absolutely indicative of the lack of integrity that exists within that program.”
Rutgers, the official state university of New Jersey, is still reeling from Rice’s firing in a national scandal in April, when a video emerged showing the coach throwing basketballs at players and hurling homophobic insults.
In the same month, Cohen got in Tyree’s face and launched his tirade, the student’s family told The Post.
“Who the f- -k do you think you are? You haven’t done s- -t yet,” Cohen spat at Tyree in front of some 10 teammates and a tutor, according to the player’s brother and confidant, Michael Tyree.
“You’re a Division 3 player on a Division 1 scholarship,” the coach barked, according to Michael Tyree, 26. “I’ll head-butt you. You’re a “p- - -y!”
The coach apparently had the wrong impression that Tyree, a three-star recruit from South Brunswick HS in New Jersey, was trying to “avoid taking reps” or “faking” a hamstring injury.
“I was a little confused because it was our first time actually interacting with each other,” Jevon Tyree told NJ.com.
Tyree stuck with the team for seven months but kept being passed up for opportunities on the gridiron. On Nov. 2, he watched from the sidelines as converted wide receiver Ruhann Pelle played cornerback against Temple — even though Tyree was next in line on the depth chart at that position.
He walked out on the team on Nov. 6, the same week it was reported that Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin quit after allegedly being bullied by guard Richie Incognito and teammates.