Minnesota head football coach P.J. Fleck defends program, calls mistreatment claims 'baseless'

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Minnesota Golden Gophers head football coach P.J. Fleck responded to recent claims of mistreatment from former players and others, calling them "baseless allegations."

Fleck said, via ESPN, that a report from Front Office Sports had "been looked into multiple times since 2017," and there was nothing to confirm any wrongdoing. 

The report includes claims from former players of Fleck saying the coach overlooked positive drug tests and other rules for players who accumulated "enough goodwill through a points system called the Fleck Bank."

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Head coach P.J. Fleck of the Minnesota Golden Gophers speaks at Big Ten football media days at Lucas Oil Stadium July 27, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

The Fleck Bank would track community service by the players, which included visiting to the University of Minnesota Medical Center alongside the head coach and tracking study habits. 

Fleck allegedly also had punishments that included excessive workouts, and the term "cult" was brought up by the former players when characterizing Fleck’s program. 

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Fleck’s "Row The Boat" culture, which is a philosophy he discussed in a 2021 book with the same name, is what the former players compared to a "cult."

"Our program culture is proven to work on and off the field, and it’s always done in a first-class manner," Fleck said, via ESPN. "There are tons of testimonials from past, current and future Gophers."

Head coach P.J. Fleck of the Minnesota Golden Gophers watches the team warm up before a game against the