The Minnesota football program drew headlines with reports surfacing of toxic culture regarding head coach P.J. Fleck. In the initial report, there were plenty of concerns regarding the mistreatment of players and even some brainwashing. However, Fleck quickly shut down those allegations and went on to call them “baseless” (h/t Adam Rittenberg of ESPN).

‘P.J. Fleck to ESPN defending his program against what he called “baseless allegations.” Listed six ways players can report concerns of mistreatment. Said he's proud of having “a transparent program.” Fleck: “As of date, there have been zero claims made through these avenues.”‘

Fleck also made sure to note the importance of the changes in the athletic department regarding physical activity as a form of punishment, per Rittenberg: “Our programming culture is proven to work on and off the field,” Fleck said. “It's always done in a first-class manner.”

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The Northwestern football program has made plenty of headlines for hazing, and the lengthy report of former Golden Gophers players on Fleck was surely notable when it was released. But Fleck was adamant that there have been zero claims up until this point for the Minnesota football program.

After a stellar run at Western Michigan, P.J. Fleck came to Minnesota and has been the head coach since 2017 and even was rewarded with a decent contract recently. He was the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2019 and has won 74 games since coming to town. However, if any of these reports are true, things could get really ugly in Minnesota.