New details emerged Wednesday morning on the investigation into whether Rutgers coach Kyle Flood made impermissible contact with a faculty member. Watch video
PISCATAWAY -- Rutgers coach Kyle Flood was told by the university's academic support staff not to contact a university professor regarding the academic status of a likely starting defensive player and did so anyway, two university officials told NJ Advance Media.
The university's office of ethics and compliance, with help from outside counsel, is investigating an email Flood allegedly sent from a private account to a Mason Gross faculty member regarding the status of Nadir Barnwell.
The two officials, who requested anonymity because the investigation into whether Flood violated university policy is ongoing, said the inquiry isn't simply about an email sent from Flood's private account.
"It's about Kyle trying to circumvent the process and trying to get the kid eligible,'' one of the university officials told NJ Advance Media.
Flood did not return a phone message left on his cell phone Wednesday morning. Told of these specific allegations through a school spokesman during practice Wednesday, Flood declined comment through that spokesman.
UPDATE: During his post-practice media availability Wednesday, Flood was pressed for comment on this report and asked whether he was told not to contact the professor. His response: "Let me ask this question before I respond to it: So what you're saying to me is, that a process that I've been told from the university not to comment on was commented on by people from the university? I'm going to continue to respect the process and I won't have any further comment until the end of the process.''
PLUS: Rutgers coach Kyle Flood meets with investigators, expects to coach opener vs. Norfolk State
The two university officials told NJ Advance Media that issues came up in late May, when a member of Rutgers' academic support staff received documentation stating that Barnwell would not pass a course.
The officials said Barnwell didn't accumulate enough credits over the fall and spring semesters, and was deemed ineligible before the summer session.
The academic support staff sent multiple correspondences to the professor to see if there was anything that could be done for Barnwell to make up the work, an official said.
According to the official, Barnwell attempted to plead his case to the professor through email as well, and the professor, in an email, responded by notifying a Rutgers athletics academic support member to "please ask (Barnwell) to stop badgering me.''
Flood was kept in the loop throughout the process and was told that there was nothing that could be done, both of the officials said in separate interviews.
"The communication with him was clear as to the status of Nadir's grade and he still decided he could fight it,'' said one official, who claimed Flood "had a long paper trail of information'' and still contacted the professor.
Another official said: "It was already done and everybody in the program knew it. Kyle was told, 'It's done, leave it alone.' ''
RELATED: Rutgers compliance policy prohibits coach-initiated contact with faculty
Flood could be in violation of university policy that prohibits verbal or written contact with a faculty member, based on a NJ Advance Media review of the document labeled "Contacting Faculty and Academic Officials'' on the school's athletics website.
The policy regarding contact between athletics staff and academic staff/faculty members states: "Coach-initiated contact of any type (e.g., oral, written, etc.) is not permitted between any member of the coaching staff and any Rutgers faculty member or associated instructional staff (teaching assistant, co-adjutant, part-time lecturer, etc.) with respect to any student-athlete.''
The policy charges members of the Academic Support staff with the responsibility of communicating with faculty staff, and dictates that coaches "must strictly abide'' by the policy and "must make prudent judgments regarding their level of involvement in a student-athlete's academic life so as to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.''
"(Flood) was reminded that this was not allowed, that he was not supposed to talk grades with the faculty,'' one of the officials said.
Barnwell has not been available to the media since Aug. 16, when he declined comment on his academic status and deferred questions to Flood.
Reached by phone, Barnwell's father, Harvey, told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday he was unaware of the process that led to the investigation.
"I have no idea. I don't know what the process was,'' Harvey Barnwell said. "All I know is this is a sad situation. Coach Flood is a very good person, and a very good person shouldn't be put in this predicament.''
Barnwell's father said if he were advising Nadir on a college choice today knowing what he knows about Flood, he would "pick the same school again.''
"He's a stand-up person,'' Harvey Barnwell said. "I hate the fact that Coach Flood is caught up in this.''
Flood is subject to discipline if he is found to be "violation of university regulations, policies (or) procedures,'' according to the terms of the contract he signed when he became Rutgers head coach on Jan. 31, 2012.
Possible penalties include a public reprimand, a suspension or termination for cause.
The compliance provisions of his contract dictate that he "shall be subject to all university regulations, policies and procedures, and legal requirements'' applicable to Rutgers employees, "including ethical standards and conflict of interest requirements.''
Flood has declined to make his email public himself, and the university has yet to respond to an Open Public Records Act request for the email sent from his non-university account. Since last week, NJ Advance Media has filed more than a dozen OPRA requests to obtain emails between Flood, his academic support staff and the faculty member who has been identified in two reports as a "part-time lecturer.''
After NJ Advance Media reported on Aug. 25 that Flood was under investigation by the university, Rutgers' fourth-year head coach said he's "had a lot of interaction with the teachers on our campus'' and noted that he welcomed two faculty members at a recent training camp practice.
Flood said: "Any correspondence that I had with a professor in regard to a student-athlete would really be of this nature: One, to be in support of whatever decision that faculty member made, and two, to inquire as to whether or not there would be an opportunity to earn a better grade.''
Asked whether he is aware of the university policies in regard to contact with faculty, Flood said: "We have professors who come to practice, we have professors that are part of our recruiting weekends. I teach classes on campus. So I welcome those interactions. Again, I think we're all a part of the same university.''
With his team gearing up to host Norfolk State this Saturday in its season opener, Flood was asked on Tuesday whether he believes he will be the coach to lead the Scarlet Knights out of the tunnel for their 12 noon kickoff.
"I have no reason to believe that I wouldn't be the person leading the football team on Saturday,'' Flood said. "My portion of the university process ended (Monday) and now until there's a resolution I really need to be respectful to that process and I won't have any further comment.''
While Flood said he wasn't given any indication on a timeline of the resolution, an official familiar with knowledge of the investigation told NJ Advance Media one more individual was scheduled to be questioned Tuesday and an outcome could be announced as early as today.
Keith Sargeant may be reached at ksargeant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KSargeantNJ. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.