AJ Barker Leaves Gopher Football, Sends E-Mail To Coach Kill (UPDATED: Kill Responds))

((HT: Tumblr.com))

AJ Barker is, apparently, not one to mince words- especially when it comes to feeling slapped around verbally by his coaching staff at Minnesota...

So he quit...

Here's the Postscript... the whole letter is worth your time- including the Appendix...

The fact you think I think I have life “all figured out” just shows how fundamentally wrong you are about me. Learning is a life long hobby and I’m dedicated to the quest of figuring more and more things out untill the day I die. I’ve realized over time, like many others, the more I learn the less I know.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to apologize to my teammates and fans. This is extremely hard for me to do and I spent the last 4 years doing everything I could to make it work here. I understand that leaving you is a very hard thing to deal with. I’m not out to get you. Take this moment of betrayal I am forced to do to you and use it to fuel the team in your game against MSU and in our bowl game. I hope you kick their butts, I’ll be cheering for my teammates. The harsh reality is we all have a limited time to play college football. It goes by fast. 13 months from now I will be forced to move on from college football regardless of what I do. It breaks my heart to cut you off before that time, and it kills me I won’t give the U of M the legacy I had hoped to leave behind. This is life, however, and goes on with or without us. There’s no doubt that with you all in mind, this is a self serving response to a terrible situation, and I hope you can forgive me of that eventually.

I also hope this can motivate other players on the team that have been mistreated and other collegiate athletes to stand up against unreasonable psychological abuse and manipulation by their coaches/superiors.

The bottom line was that the emerging receiver claims he was abused by head coach Jerry Kill and his coaching staff after Barker suffered an ankle injury last month. Barker was the team's leading receiver in catches and touchdowns...

Evidence below...
((HT: GopherAthletics))


Minnesota has responded with the standard "released statement..."
Here's an interview Barker did with KARE-TV in the Twin Cities...
And Kill responded this afternoon... ((HT: KARE-TV))