Bob Huggins will remain as head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University, he announced Wednesday. But he revealed he would be suspended for three games and take a pay cut for using anti-gay slurs twice in an interview and mocking Catholics. This week on a Cincinnati radio station.
The university said it would restructure Huggins’ contract and reduce his salary from $4.15 million to $1 million. He will have to undergo sensitivity training and will miss his first three games of the 2023-24 season.
In a joint statement, the university’s president and athletic director said Huggins, the winningest active coach in Division I men’s basketball, would be fired immediately if he made similarly offensive comments in the future.
In an interview with Cincinnati radio station 700 WLW on Monday, Huggins described fans of Xavier University, a Jesuit institution, using a homophobic slur and emphasized the school’s religious affiliation. While discussing his 16-season tenure at the University of Cincinnati and the school’s rivalry with Xavier, Huggins twice directed homophobic slurs at Xavier fans. sun.”
Huggins, 69, issued an apology as part of the university’s statement, saying he deeply regrets his comments and the hurt they have caused.
“I have no excuse for the language I used and I take full responsibility,” he said in a statement Wednesday. “I will follow the steps put forward by the university and athletics leadership to learn from this incident. “I have had several conversations over the past 24 hours with colleagues and friends whom I sincerely respect and respect, and I am acutely aware of the pain I have caused,” he said.
In addition to the pay cut, Huggins will make a personal donation to Xavier to support the Xavier Center for Faith and Justice and the Center for Diversity and Inclusion, although the amount of the donation was not specified. He should also meet with LGBTQ leaders across West Virginia.
In August 2021, Huggins signed a contract extension through the 2023-24 season, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. Under his previous contract, Huggins had the option to “extend or coach his relationship” with the university through June 2027. In an announcement Wednesday, the university said Huggins’ current contract will be modified to an annual contract and will be terminated. April 30, 2024.
The $1 million cut from Huggins’ salary will be used to support LGBTQ centers, mental health counseling centers and other organizations, the university said in a statement.
“While the University has never and will never condone the language used on Monday, we must use this moment to highlight how the casual use of inflammatory language and implicit bias impact our culture, our communities, and our health and well-being. We will educate you on the impact,” the statement said. said.
Huggins has coached at West Virginia since 2007. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and is one of only six men’s coaches in Division I to reach 900 career wins.
