More claims of mistreatment by Mark Mangino

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The parade of ex-players with stories of mistreatment at the hands of Kansas football coach Mark Mangino keep coming.

The latest, former defensive lineman Cory Kipp, told the Lawrence Journal-World that in August 2003, Mangino punished him for not weighing-in earlier in the day. Kipp’s punishment: bear-crawling across Memorial Stadium’s AstroTurf on his hands and feet.

Kipp began the crawl and, after moving several yards, felt a burning sensation in his hands. On multiple occasions, Kipp said, he stopped to complain that the turf was burning his hands — according to a University of Arkansas report, artificial playing surfaces have been documented at up to 199 degrees in temperature — but was ordered by Mangino, who was walking alongside the crawling player, to keep going.

By the time Kipp had finished, the skin near the heel of his hand had been completely seared, and photos provided to the Journal-World depict blistering and a sizable area of missing skin.

The burns on Kipp’s hand needed treatment for three weeks, but he wasn’t given time to recover. Kipp said he was forced to practice, saying KU’s trainer would heavily wrap his hand with padding. After practice, the padding would be soaked in blood.

Kipp photographed the burns and showed ’em to the Journal-World, which shared them with a doctor, who examined them and said the burns were consistent with second-degree burns.

Bear-crawling wasn’t enough, though. Kipp and others now claim that Mangino threatened to burn his other hand if he missed a tackle again.

Kipp told the Journal-World that he was afraid to speak out in 2003, fearing Mangino would reduce his playing time or yank his scholarship.

Mangino didn’t comment on the story, and the internal investigation continues.

Meanwhile, Kansas’ football program is stuck in limbo as the university decides Mangino’s fate.