Coker: I'm Still Bruised From the Brawl

Larry Coker, who has had only one interview — with Rice for its head coaching job — after being fired by Miami, is certain of the reason he remains unemployed — the Hurricanes' bench-clearing brawl last season against Florida International.

During his discussions with Rice, Coker said, the fight was brought up "right away."

"The image that created was a big thing," he told Jorge Milian of the Palm Beach Post. "I'm going to have to remove myself from this incident with FIU. It takes time."

The Rice job eventually went to David Bailiff of Division I-AA Texas State. Coker, 59, said he is resigned to sitting out the 2007 season, although there has been some interest in Coker's services as a game analysis for television.

"I don't want to go through the fall with a remote control in my hand watching 24 games at home during the weekend. I want to do something. In this business if you're not out there, you're forgotten pretty quickly."