Former Rutgers coach Mike Rice is receiving treatment for anger management. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Former Rutgers head coach Mike Rice is receiving counseling for anger management and is getting help from former NBA player John Lucas, reports ESPN.com.

Rice has spent the past two weeks at John Lucas’ Wellness and Aftercare Program in Houston and where he is working with former college players who are going through Lucas’ pre-NBA draft camp.

“He’s doing great,” Lucas said. “His attitude has been phenomenal and our kids love his intensity and his passion for the game. He’s happy to be having this chance to give back a little bit.”

Rice was fired in last month after videos surfaced of him verbrally and physically abusing players during practice, including throwing basketballs at their heads and calling them gay slurs. Athletic director Tim Pernetti subsequently resigned as well. Former Los Angeles Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan was hired to replace Rice.

More from ESPN.com:

Lucas is a former NBA standout whose career was derailed by substance abuse issues. His facility, which opened more than two decades ago, helps athletes and coaches conquer a variety of problems, including issues with drugs and alcohol, addictions to food and sex, weight and work ethic issues along with anger management.

Rutgers is set to announce its first ever female Athletic Director on Wednesday. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Louisville senior associate Athletic Director Julie Hermann is expected to be named Wednesday as the new Rutgers University AD, replacing Tim Pernetti who resigned “reluctantly” in April shortly after footage came to light of then-head basketball coach Mike Rice physically and verbally abusing his players during multiple practices.

Hermann, 49, will become the first female to run Rutgers’ athletic department in the 200+ years that the University has been in operation. According to Tom Luicci of the Star-Ledger, she is also set to become one of just three women to hold the top job in a BCS program (N.C. State’s Debbie Yow and California’s Sandy Barbour), and is just the fourth AD for the school since 1973 (not counting brief stints by Carl Kirschner). The report says she was chosen Wednesday morning during an emergency voting session by the school’s Board of Governors after Rutgers’ six-member Executive Athletic Committee came to a 3-3 tie in the vote with half the board giving the nod to Wisconsin’s Deputy Athletic Director, Sean Frazier.

Hermann has been with Louisville’s athletic department since 1998, most recently tasked with overseeing 20 of the school’s 23 sports. The Cardinals as a whole are coming off one of their best seasons in Louisville history with a win in the BCS Sugar Bowl, a national championship for its men’s basketball team and a Final Four appearance in women’s basketball.

Rutgers men’s basketball coach Eddie Jordan reportedly never actually graduated from Rutgers (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

Rutgers hired coach Eddie Jordan to replace Mike Rice, after ESPN aired a video of the temperamental coach throwing basketballs at players and swearing at them. Rutgers brought in Jordan hoping that he would bring an end to the scrutiny and represent Rutgers well.

Jordan’s bio on Rutgers’ website calls him a 1977 grad who earned a degree in health and physical education. However, Deadspin has reported that Jordan’s transcript, obtained from the University, gives no indication that Jordan ever finished his degree.

Furthermore, a call to the registrar’s office made the situation quite clear. From Deadspin:

“He did not receive a degree from us,” an official there [said].

At the presser following his hire, Jordan thanked the Rutgers community for their patience as he worked out contract negotiations. He cited due diligence as playing a role in the length of time it took for him to be hired. From Deadspin:

“I want to thank [Rutgers president Robert] Barchi for his belief and trust in me. I’d like to thank our Board of Governors and our Board of Trustees who understood the meaning of due diligence. People have taken some criticism on the length of time, but the due diligence was very important in their minds and in their actions to get this thing right. And I’m glad that they chose me.”

For a University already under the microscope and concerned with due diligence, Rutgers overlooked the fact that Jordan, broadcast as an alumnus, never actually completed his degree, falling around 10 credits short of graduation, according to Deadspin.

Rutgers University suspended their men’s lacrosse coach Brian Brecht with pay Friday, pending the completion of an investigation of verbal abuse by the campus police department, the school announced.

Brecht is in his second season with the Scarlet Knights, and came to the school after leading Siena to 57 victories over the previous five seasons. The school did not give details of allegations.

This is the university’s second instance in dealing with a coach accused of abuse. A videotape showing men’s basketball coach Mike Rice verbally and physically abusing players led to his firing on April 3 and the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti. Rutgers has been reviewing videos of practices in all sports since that incident.

From a Rutgers release:

“While I cannot comment on an ongoing investigation, let me reiterate that there is no place at Rutgers for words or actions that are inconsistent with the values of the university. Our student athletes, as all members of the Rutgers community, should know that our university is committed to promoting an atmosphere of respect and dignity,“ said Robert L. Barchi, Rutgers University president. “As I stressed earlier, we will be looking closely at all intercollegiate athletics at Rutgers going forward. If we find problems, we will address them.”

Adam Schefter of ESPN has put names to two players linked to reports of trashing a Indianapolis hotel room during the NFL Combine in February.

Schefter reports via Twitter that the room belonged to Clemson wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and Rutgers wide receiver Mark Harrison.

Dan Pompeii of National Football Post initially reported the incident on Sunday.

On Monday, Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported confirmation of the trashed room from NFL Football Scouting president Jeff Foster. The report described conditions that included urine and feces scattered about the bathroom, toothpaste on the mirror and garbage, including partially eaten food left on the bed and throughout the room.

The players to whom the room was registered have denied their involvement to NFL team representatives who have questioned them at their respective pro days, according to Foster and other sources close to the situation.

Foster said both agents for the respective players called shortly after their players had checked out of the room to give their denials. When Yahoo! Sports contacted two agents who were identified as the athletes’ representatives, the agents denied their players were involved. There’s a belief that such an embarrassing situation coming up so close to the draft could significantly impact their player’s draft status.

Hopkins, considered a high first-round prospect, has dealt with tragedy before starring at Clemson.

A trashed hotel room at Indy scouting combine that Yahoo reported on belonged to Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins and Rutgers WR Mark Harrison.—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2013

Eddie Jordan will reportedly coach Rutgers next season. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Former Rutgers point guard Eddie Jordan has reportedly agreed in principle to coach the men’s basketball team at the school next season, according to a report Thursday afternoon from Keith Sargeant of USA Today Sports.

According to Sargeant, the deal is somewhere in the ballpark of five years and $6.25 million but needs to be approved by the school’s Board of Governors before it becomes official. Once finalized, Jordan, most recently an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, would become the Scarlet Knights’ 18th basketball coach in the history of the school, marking nearly four decades since he led the team as a player to the 1976 Final Four.

The school had been searching for a replacement to Mike Rice, who was let go at the beginning of April amid footage that had surfaced of him physically and verbally abusing his players on several occasions during practice.

Jordan, who won an NBA championship in 1982 as a player on the Lakers, had previously served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers.

Rutgers will reportedly hire Lakers assistant Eddie Jordan as their new head coach. (Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Eddie Jordan will be announced next week as the new Rutgers University men’s basketball coach, reports The Times of Trenton.

The report says that Jordan met with Rutgers officials Saturday evening and flew to New Jersey after the Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors on Friday night. The school has yet to make an official announcement on the reported hire.

Jordan will replace Mike Rice who was fired April 3 after a videotape surfaced showing him verbally and physically abusing players.

Jordan graduated from the school in 1977 and has been a head coach of three NBA teams: the Sacramento Kings, the Washington Wizards and the Philadelphia 76ers. He was also an assistant coach with the Nets when they were based in New Jersey.

More from the The Times of Trenton:

He was also an assistant coach at his alma mater for five years as well as spending a year as an assistant at Boston College.

A native of Washington, D.C., Jordan has in the past year also coached an AAU team out of D.C. to a national championship and also coached the freshmen team at his high school alma mater Archbishop Carroll during the NBA strike a year ago.

Dan Hurley officially spurned Rutgers to stay at Rhode Island. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Rhode Island men’s basketball head coach Dan Hurley officially turned down an offer to become Rutgers’ head coach and will sign an extension to stay at URI, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reported Thursday night.

SI.com’s Pete Thamel reported Saturday that Hurley and the Rams were “close” to reaching an agreement on an extension. That became a reality on Wednesday, when he officially turned down Rutgers’ offer, Katz reported. Rutgers offered Hurley, a 40-year-old New Jersey native, a five-year contract worth about $1 million per season.

As Thamel reported, Hurley’s new extension with the Rams will keep him with the school through the 2019-20 season.

Hurley suggested last weekend that he might not want to go through the grind of another rebuilding project at Rutgers. He came to Rhode Island last offseason, and the Rams finished 8-21 during his first season.

“For me, my family loves Rhode Island, loves the people there. We’ve adjusted really, really well to living outside of New Jersey for the first time in our lives,” Hurley said Sunday on ESPN Radio’s “The Ian O’Connor Show.” “Two of my three years as a college coach have been in rebuilding situations, and that’s a tough thing to go through. It takes a lot of energy and a lot of wear and tear on you.”

Rutgers, meanwhile, will have to continue their coaching search after losing both coach Mike Rice and athletic director Tim Pernetti in the wake of its recent abuse scandal. Thamel reported on Saturday that some candidates could Temple’s Fran Dunphy, La Salle coach Dr. John Giannini, former UCLA coach Ben Howland, Lawrence Frank and Eddie Jordan.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether former Rutgers assistant Eric Murdock tried to extort money from the university, reports the New York Times.

Murdock, whose practice videos led to the firing of Rutgers head coach Mike Rice and the resignation of athletic director Tim Pernetti, wrote a letter to the school demanding $950,000 in December, according to the paper.

Murdock filed a wrongful-termination lawsuit against the school on Friday, claiming that he was fired for being a whistle-blower.

From the New York Times:

In December, a lawyer representing the former assistant, Eric Murdock, a retired N.B.A. player, sent a letter to the university demanding $950,000, according to a copy of the letter. The letter — which was first reported by ESPN on Friday — was sent two weeks after Rice was suspended for three games for the abusive behavior that eventually led to his firing Wednesday.

The university declined to pay the money demanded in the letter, and Murdock eventually publicized video footage that showed Rice kicking his players, throwing basketballs at them and taunting them with homophobic slurs. The footage has touched off a scandal that has led to the resignations or dismissals of at least four Rutgers officials.

According to multiple reports, Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti has resigned. (Getty Images)

Embattled Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti has resigned, as reported by Tara Sullivan of The Record and Brett McMurphy of ESPN.

Pernetti has come under fire for his handling of former men’s basketball coach Mike Rice who was videotaped physically and verbally abusing players.

The video, first revealed to the public by ESPN’s Outside the Lines on Wednesday, was behind the initial decision to suspend Rice for three games and fine him $50,000 last season for what the school called inappropriate behavior toward his players. Video clips and raw footage show Rice throwing basketballs at his players, shoving and kicking them, and taunting them with profane language including a homophobic slur.

ESPN reportedly opted to run the video Tuesday afternoon after Pernetti preemptively showed it to media members covering the school in his office. Pernetti originally told the media that Rice was being retained for next season. But Rice was then fired Wednesday after public reaction to the video.

Rice, who was hired in 2010, was 44-51 overall and 17-39 in Big East play. His contract ran through the 2013-14 season. His practices were monitored by someone outside the basketball program when he returned at midseason.

Former director of player development Eric Murdock revealed the tape to Rutgers athletic officials prior to the school not renewing his contract after the 2011-12 season. Murdock, according to New York Post sources, vowed to release the video if the university did not compensate him. He currently is involved in a wrongful termination lawsuit against the university. Murdock reportedly sought $950,000 from Rutgers as part of his settlement.

Another axe about to fall. Sources confirm Pernetti is done. All that's left is determining resignation versus termination.—
tara sullivan (@Record_Tara) April 05, 2013

Tim Pernetti out as Rutgers athletic director, source told @ESPN—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) April 05, 2013

An attorney for Eric Murdock, the former Rutgers director of player development who revealed the video of fired men’s basketball coach Mike Rice physically and verbally abusing players, sought $950,000 from the university as settlement for his wrongful termination claims, according to an ESPN report.

According to the report, Barry A. Kozyra, Murdock’s attorney, sent a two-page letter, which was obtained by ESPN, to John K. Bennett, who is representing Rutgers, seeking $950,000 last December. The letter was dated two weeks after Rice was suspended three games without pay and fined $50,000 for a violation of athletic department policy on Dec. 13.

According to ESPN:

Among the things the letter states: “While we believe that the recent suspension and fine of Mr. Rice and his enrollment in anger management and future monitoring of his conduct (as we suggested) was a small step in the right direction, it is unfathomable to think that Mr. Rice’s employment with the University continues while Mr. Murdock remains unemployed for simply having done the right thing…

“We are willing to give your clients until the close of business on Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, to address final resolution of this matter. Otherwise, we have already prepared a Complaint and will file suit without further notice. To resolve claims for damages inclusive of attorney fees and costs, Mr. Murdock is willing to accept $950,000.00.”

Murdock’s annual salary at Rutgers was $70,000 prior to the school not renewing his contract after he alerted Rutgers officials with the video.

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti could not be reached for comment and a Rutgers spokesperson declined comment according to ESPN.

FBI special agent James Tareco was on the Rutgers campus Thursday questioning individuals about Murdock, according to ESPN. An FBI spokeswoman, after speaking with a Newark FBI agent Thursday, said she could not comment.

In letter to Rutgers, Eric Murdock's attorney sought $950K as settlement for wrongful termination claim @ESPN has learned—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) April 04, 2013

FBI agent James Tareco on Rutgers campus today questioning officials about Eric Murdock, source told @ESPN—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) April 04, 2013

Could Lawrence Frank be the next basketball coach at Rutgers? (Ron Hoskins/Getty Images)

The Detroit Pistons and the University of Rhode Island have about one thing in common at the moment. One of them might lose their head coach to replace the recently vacated position at Rutgers University.

Pistons head coach Lawrence Frank, and Dan Hurley, coach of the URI Rams, are reportedly two of the candidates being considered to replace Mike Rice, who was fired this week amid footage that surfaced of him physically and verbally abusing his players during practice on multiple occasions.

According to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski and Pat Forde, Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti has Hurley as No. 1 on his list, but is also interested in Frank, who Pernetti reportedly tried to hire four years ago before ultimately deciding on Rice.

Hurley, the son of Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley, and brother to Bobby, the former Duke standout now a coach at University of Buffalo, is in his second year at URI. He had previously taken over Wagner’s troubled basketball program and led them to 25 wins in only his second season with the team.

Frank, meanwhile, is no stranger to New Jersey. He coached the then-New Jersey Nets in 2004 for more than five years.  His wife lives in New Jersey and Frank took six games off from the Pistons this season to be with her and his two children because she has been battling an unreported illness. He also has experience at the collegiate level, having been an assistant coach with Marquette and Tennessee.

But Frank dismissed the rumors in a Detroit Free Press report, saying he is “very happy” as coach of the Pistons (25-51), and hasn’t heard from Rutgers:

“I’m the coach of the Pistons. I haven’t heard from anyone. [L]ike I told you, I’m very happy as the coach of the Pistons. I haven’t been contacted by anyone and there’s nothing more to say.”

Dan Hurley is a member of one of New Jersey’s most famous basketball families. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

Rutgers’ first choice to take over its scandal plagued men’s basketball program is University of Rhode Island coach Dan Hurley, according to sources in a Yahoo! Sports report.

Embattled Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti is said to have Hurley at the top of his list, but his own employment remains in question following the release of a videotape Tuesday showing coach Mike Rice abusing players. Pernetti previously suspended Rice three games and fined him $50,000 last season after he viewed the video last year.

Hurley could have a calming effect on the Rutgers athletic department for a variety of reasons according to Yahoo! Sports:

Hurley’s name is a magical one in the New Jersey basketball community, and his candidacy would be popular with alumni and high school coaches. As Rutgers enters the highly competitive Big Ten Conference next season, a coach with the credibility to recruit in the region will be paramount.

After quickly turning around Wagner’s program with 25 victories in his second season, Hurley was hired away to Rhode Island where his early recruiting successes could pave the way for a dramatic turnaround in his second season in the Atlantic 10.

His father, Bob, is the Hall of Fame coach of St. Anthony in Jersey City, and his brother, Bobby, is the new head coach at the University of Buffalo.

The report lists Detroit Pistons coach Lawrence Frank as another candidate since he discussed the idea with Pernetti four years ago. On Wednesday, Frank called Rice’s actions “appalling.”

The controversial practice video that led to a three-game suspension and $50,000 fine for Rutgers men’s basketball coach Mike Rice in December has gone public.

The Star-Ledger reported Tuesday morning the tape that includes Rice using abusive and profane language — including a gay slur — while throwing basketballs at Rutgers players’ heads during practice was scheduled to be broadcast Sunday on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines.”

ESPN reportedly opted to premiere the video Tuesday afternoon after Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti preemptively showed it to media members covering the school in his office. Pernetti told the media that Rice is being retained for next season. Rice, who was hired in 2010, is 44-51 overall and 17-39 in Big East play. His contract runs through the 2013-14 season. His practices were monitored by someone outside the basketball program when he returned at midseason.

Former director of player development Eric Murdock revealed the tape to Rutgers athletic officials prior to the school not renewing his contract after the 2011-12 season. Murdock, according to New York Post sources, vowed to release the video if the university did not compensate him. He currently is involved in a lawsuit against the university.

Rice was contrite following the announcement of his suspension in December:

“Since becoming a coach at the age of 21, I have taken great pride in not only helping young men learn the game of basketball but also in teaching them about character, respect and hard work,” Rice said. “To the extent that my conduct has ever been in contrast with those principles, I have failed my players – and myself – and I take full responsibility for my actions and accept the terms of my suspension.

“I will learn from my mistakes and I will become a better coach, teacher and role model.”

Rutgers just showed the 30-minute Mike Rice tape that will air onESPN to the beat writers here at Rutgers.Tim Pernetti says Rice will remain—
Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 02, 2013

Lowlight of the tape is a gay slur directed at a Rutgers player but Pernetti said Rice is undergoing 'pretty intensive sensitivity training'—
Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 02, 2013

And remember, Rutgers had a gay student named Tyler Clementi jump off a bridge 2 years ago after he was he was videotaped in his dorm room—
Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 02, 2013

Rutgers University is suing the Big East over the exit fee that, Rutgers claims, arbitrarily applies to Big East football schools. (Rick Shultz/Getty Images)

Rutgers is suing the Big East over its $10 million exit fee and the mandated 27-month waiting period before joining the Big Ten, reports Courthouse News Service.

The complaint has been filed on the grounds that the exit fee arbitrarily applies to Big East football schools, to penalize those seeking to withdraw. The Big East allowed Syracuse, Pittsburgh, TCU and West Virginia to leave without the waiting period. Rutgers also claims that the conference failed to collect the $39.5 million in withdraw fees from the departed schools.

Rutgers’ proposed solution is outlined in the complaint:

“The court should accordingly enter an order declaring the Bylaws to be void and of no effect as between the parties, permitting Rutgers to withdraw from The Big East prior to July 1, 2015, or in alternative, declaring that The Big East has waived Rutgers’ obligation to abide by the 27 months notice provision and the requirement of a withdrawal fee.”

The Big East has not commented on the lawsuit.

Teddy Bridgewater broke his left wrist in a triple-overtime loss to UConn. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Louisville coach Charlie Strong said quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will play Thursday against Rutgers after breaking his left wrist in Saturday’s triple-OT loss to UConn.

Bridgewater was seen wearing a cast on his left wrist, his non-throwing arm, after leading the Cardinals from behind to force overtime against UConn with a touchdown pass with 21 seconds remaining.

Bridgewater completed 30 of 53 passes for 331 yards with two touchdowns, but also threw a costly interception that led to UConn’s game-winning field goal in triple overtime.

Bridgewater is considered a top quarterback prospect in the next NFL Draft.

Sources said Rutgers will announce its move from the Big East to the Big Ten on Tuesday according to ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy via Twitter.

Rutgers will announce move to Big Ten on Tuesday, sources told @ESPN—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 19, 2012

Rutgers has been linked to the Big Ten, along with Maryland, whose Board of Regents approved its move from the ACC on Monday. Rutgers is expected to move to the Big Ten — along with Maryland — for the 2014-15 school year.

The buyout for schools leaving the Big East is $10 million along with 27 months’ notice. The conference, however, has allowed Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia to pay a higher fee in order to leave earlier.

The addition of Maryland and Rutgers will give the Big Ten an added presence and coveted television markets in the East.

SI.com’s Pete Thamel reported that the Big Ten’s potential addition of Rutgers would bring in millions of East Coast television sets, but was not without risk:

The University of Maryland is reportedly in serious talks to join the Big Ten Conference. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)

The University of Maryland is in advanced negotiations to join the Big Ten Conference, reports ESPN.com.

If Maryland goes to the Big Ten, Rutgers of the Big East is expected to follow suit. The addition of Maryland and Rutgers would give the Big Ten 14 members as the league gears toward negotiations on a new media rights deal when its first-tier rights expire in 2017.

Maryland would have to pay a $50 million exit fee to leave the Atlantic Coast Conference, which it has been a part of since 1953.

Maryland and Florida State were the two schools that voted against the exit fee, but both lost the vote. If Maryland leaves, the ACC would have 13 schools for college football and basketball. Reports say that each Big Ten school received a record $24.6 million in shared revenue.

Maryland recently dropped seven sports and having to pay $50 million would be hard to digest for the athletic department and campus.

Rutgers’ exit fee from the Big East Conference is $10 million if the school provides at least 27 months of notice before departing the conference. Rutgers is the ninth member of the Big East to either leave or announce they were leaving the conference since 2004.

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson has been cleared to play Saturday against Rutgers according to numerous reports.

John L Smith says Tyler Wilson cleared to play Saturday vs Rutgers.—
Pat Forde (@YahooForde) September 20, 2012

Arkansas coach John L. Smith announces QB Tyler Wilson will start Saturday vs. Rutgers—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) September 20, 2012

Wilson, who has been out since suffering a concussion in Arkansas’ upset loss to the University of Louisana-Monroe on Sept. 8, was cleared to practice Tuesday.

Wilson managed to make headlines while not playing last week, calling out some of his teammates for quitting during the Razorbacks’ 52-0 loss to Alabama.

Gary Nova was named Rutgers’ starting quarterback. (Rich Schultz/Getty Images)

The domino effect caused by the transfer of Rutgers quarterback Tom Savage in 2011 resulted in Don Bosco Prep’s Gary Nova de-committing from Pittsburgh and signing with the Scarlet Knights.

Nova’s decision appears to be paying off. Rutgers coach Kyle Flood named him the starting quarterback after an off-season battle with Chas Dodd.

From the Newark Star-Ledger:

“We are fortunate to have two talented quarterbacks who have won big games for us,” Flood said in the statement. “This has been an excellent competition but Gary’s body of work ultimately earned him the job.”

The 6-2, 225-pound Nova, a product of powerhouse Don Bosco Prep, started five games and appeared in 10 as a true freshman last season. He finished 116-of-227 for 1,553 yards with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Flood originally said he would name a quarterback seven to 10 days before Rutgers’ Sept. 1 opener at Tulane, which meant any time from Wednesday on. But he decided to act following Saturday night’s scrimmage, after Nova went 7-of-13 for 180 yards with three touchdowns — a 60-yarder to Mark Harrison and a 75-yarder to Miles Shuler among them.

Eric LeGrand lived his NFL dream and has now retired as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

One of the most inspirational sports stories in recent years, Eric LeGrand always wanted to be part of an NFL team.

And after signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in May, he can now claim to be a “Buc for life.”

LeGrand announced his retirement on the team’s official website Thursday morning, the first day of training camp.

“Making it to the NFL was my dream. But now I want to see my team as strong as possible at the start of Training Camp,” he said. “I’m a Buc for life.”

In the past month, LeGrand has delivered two speeches that have gathered national attention. He gave an emotional talk to Buccaneers at team workouts in June, then stole the show at July’s ESPY Awards when he was given the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

He sustained a spinal cord injury in 2010 as a junior defensive tackle for Rutgers that left him paralyzed from the neck down. His former college head coach Greg Schiano is now the head coach of Tampa Bay.

Greg Schiano left Rutgers a week ago to become the next head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but it didn’t take long for the Scarlet Knights to choose a replacement. Interim coach Kyle Flood will take over the head-coaching position at Rutgers permanently, according to the New York Times.

Mario Cristobal of Florida International had spent hours discussing the position with Rutgers officials but ultimately declined, sources tell the Times. That leaves Flood as the university’s fall-back option. Rutgers is expected to announce Flood’s hiring on Tuesday afternoon.

Schiano had been in charge at Rutgers since 2001. He led the Scarlet Knights to a 68-67 overall record, winning five of his six bowl appearances.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hiring of Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano is now official, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Now official: After finalizing a five-year deal, the Buccaneers officially have hired Greg Schiano as their next head coach.

—
Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 26, 2012

It had been reported last week that Tampa Bay and Oregon head coach Chip Kelly were very close to a deal to make him the franchise’s next coach. That deal fell through at the last moment, however, when a change of heart led Kelly back to Oregon.

Schiano, 45, has served as the head coach of Rutgers since 2001. In that time he has led the Scarlet Knights to a 68-67 overall record, and has won in five out of six Bowl Game appearances.

The head coaching position in Tampa Bay became vacant after the club made the decision to fire Raheem Morris after just three years on the job. Morris lead the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record in 2010, but the team regressed in 2011 finishing just 4-12.