Sports

College Football Coach Accused Of Throwing Chairs While Running Lie-Fueled ‘Ponzi Scheme’

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Mike MacIntyre FIU Controversy Throw Chair
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Florida International head coach Mike MacIntyre was forced to apologize for a comment he made about this history of his college football program earlier this week. However, a large group of his former players are warning others not to believe his apology because of their bad experiences under the 59-year-old’s leadership.

If what they have to say is true, their stories reflect poorly on MacIntyre and the culture in Miami.

This proverbial snowball started to roll on Tuesday during the head coach’s weekly media appearance. He was asked whether 2025 is a “make or break year” for him and the Panthers. In response, he quipped that “this program hasn’t had a good history at all since the beginning of it.”

As could be expected, his comments were not well received. Countless FIU fans, alums and former players expressed their disappointment with McIntyre’s opinion. 36 hours of nonstop backlash ultimately forced him to apologize on Wednesday.

I would like to take a moment to clarify and apologize for a comment I made during yesterday’s press conference. What I intended to convey is that with any rebuilding process there are challenges. While those challenges are part of the journey, my comments did not properly reflect many historical achievements for our program and players.

Hearing stories from former players has been incredible—especially about the five bowl appearances, the conference championship win, the historic victory over the University of Miami, and the bowl win in just our eighth year. We’re proud of how our student-athletes have given their all to our program, and many have gone on to achieve great success on and off the field.

We have a clear vision for the future of our program, and while we are not there yet, I truly believe we are on the right path. I have already seen promising signs of what is to come, and I remain deeply committed and optimistic about our program and our players.

— Mike MacIntyre

MacIntyre was hired in 2022. The Panthers went 4-8 in years one and two. They are currently 3-7 with two games left against Kennesaw State and MTSU. 5-7 is very much in play but that won’t cut it.

If MacIntyre made his comments about a “bad history” while exceeding expectations instead of missing a bowl game in three-straight years, they might’ve been received differently. Instead, he got destroyed. To make matters worse, some of his former players decided to speak their truth about their time at FIU.

Is Mike MacIntyre a problem?!

Reggie Peterson was the first person to tell his story. He actually stepped away from the program in September, right at the start of his senior college football season.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound linebacker was considered one of the top players in Conference USA after recording 104 tackles in 12 starts last season. Most, if not all major media outlets voted him to the All-CUSA Preseason First Team for this fall. He was even picked as a team captain as a former walk-on!

Peterson played just one game for the Panthers in 2024 before his sudden retirement. Nobody knew why he decided to leave at the time but we do now. His departure related directly to how MacIntyre runs the Florida International program.

Peterson’s story about the time MacIntyre threw a chair in the locker room seemed to resonate with some of his former teammates. Caleb Lynum, who played at FIU from 2018-22, was hit in the face.

Davon Strickland, once the team’s leading tackler, believes a change is in order.

I remember that halftime session like it was yesterday! The behavior displayed in that locker room that day was highly unacceptable! Throwing chairs, flipping tables… FIU does not deserve this!

— Davon Strickland

Peterson hopes that his decision to speak out against MacIntyre will inspire others to do the same.

Do NOT be scared to speak up if you were on the FIU 2022 Team vs FAU, home Game where he threw a chair and hit a player. That day is when FIU players decided to transfer to Power 4 Schools. Some people left with ZERO FILM. They would rather take a chance to play somewhere else.

— Reggie Peterson

He also told two additional stories about his final seasons with the program.

  1. He gave us the worst Pre-Game speech ever vs WKU in 2022. “They’re bigger than us, Stronger than us, Faster than us, Quicker than us, but we are smarter. Go out there and kick some butt”…. What??? We lost 73-0 that game
  2. He told a defensive player in 2023, “you suck, you suck. Worthless, you suck as a player” the player than went to say “you’re my coach, coach me, you’re telling me I suck, then why am I playing?” That defensive player still plays on the team today. After being verbally abused..
— Reggie Peterson

There are always three sides to every story. In this case, there is Peterson’s side, MacIntyre’s side and the truth, which likely falls somewhere in the middle. Based on this increasing outcry of former players, it seems like the truth is probably closer to what the guys in the locker room are saying. We’ll see.

As of this writing, neither Florida International nor Mike MacIntyre have issued a statement about the allegations. They will both need to do so in the coming days, whether it is separate or joint.