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Ed Reed will not become the head football coach at Bethune-Cookman after all.

The Hall of Fame safety announced Saturday that the school informed him it will not ratify his contract.

“I was committed to coaching and cultivating with the university, players, and fans,” Reed said in a statement posted to Twitter. “It’s extremely disappointing this won’t be happening.”

Reed said his legal team spent weeks trying to negotiate “contract terms with the language and resources we knew were needed to build a successful football program.”

The Daytona Beach, Fla., school had announced the hiring of Reed, 44, on Dec. 27.

It was to be the first head coaching position for Reed, who served as the chief of staff and senior football adviser at his alma mater, the University of Miami, for the past three seasons.

Prior to that role with Miami, Reed’s only other coaching experience came with the Bills in 2016 as an assistant defensive backs coach.

Bethune-Cookman finished 2-9 in 2022 under Terry Sims, who was fired in November after seven seasons.

A dominant player at Miami, Reed was a consensus All-American in 2000 and 2001 and the Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year in 2001. His 21 interceptions over four seasons remains a program record. Reed also played a vital role for the Hurricanes en route to their 2001 BCS national championship.

Selected 24th overall by the Ravens in 2002, Reed was a five-time All-Pro in his 11 seasons with Baltimore, which included a Super Bowl XLVII victory.

Reed, who also played for the New York Jets and Houston Texans, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame the following year.

–Field Level Media