West Virginia Mountaineers head basketball coach Bob Huggins is no stranger to controversy.
The former Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball coach is recognized as one of the better coaches in the game, and a lot of that success stems from his fiery in-your-face motivational approach.
What Did Bob Huggins Do Now?
But as much as that has helped Huggins, who by all accounts is well respected, it’s also the reason he ends up in situations that don’t reflect well on his character.
During an appearance on 700 WLW’s “Bill Cunningham Show,” a Cincinnati-based radio show, “Huggy” went on a bit of rant when asked about Xavier, the archrival for his former Bearcats, calling them names that are frowned upon.
Bob Huggins Used Slurs
“All those f—s, those Catholic f—s who would throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it.”
“I’ll tell you what, any school that can throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it, by God they can get away with anything,” Huggins said.
“It was the Crosstown Shootout. What it was was all those f—s, those Catholic f—s. They were envious they didn’t have one.”
While he did issue an apology almost immediately, the damage had already been done. Those homophobic comments rubbed former NBA player John Amaechi, who was the league’s first player to come out as gay, the wrong way.
Amaechi Calls Huggins Comments Disgusting
While Amaechi played just five years in the league, he is known for being coming out as a homosexual male in his 2007 New York Bestseller titled “Man In The Middle.”
During an interview with TMZ Sports, Amaechi spoke on Huggins’ comments.
“I don’t know the man, but he sounds like a dinosaur. College and indeed pro sports are littered with them.”
After hearing of Huggins’ comments, Amaechi mentioned that many others in leadership positions in the world of sports think and believe as Huggins spoke.
Amaechi also says it didn’t sit right with him how the host seemed to be all in with Huggins after using those words. He then called everyone involved “disgusting” for pretty much urging him to continue his ridiculous rant.
“It’s hardly surprising that some people still think it’s OK to say these words,” Amaechi said. “As to whether he should be an educator (as a coach or otherwise), I would remind people that vociferously anti-trans and anti-gay usually sit in a constellation where many other minority groups (including Black and brown people) are also help in contempt.”
West Virginia Won’t Fire Huggins: He Will Lose A Bag
This isn’t the first time Huggins and the word controversy have butted heads. The thing with this one is it wasn’t a blip or slip-up, but he blatantly meant to say the things he said in that interview.
He might have been rewinding back to another time and explaining what the public opinion was back then, but he was a bit too loose with the lips for this day and age, where anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of social media and public opinion.
And while he’s a great coach and great motivator, it may be time for Huggins to ride off in the sunset and out of Morgantown.
Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Huggins is not going to be fired, but the fiery sideline stalker is will take a $1M reduction in salary in an amendment to his current ($4.2M) salary to be donated to LGBTQ+ Center, a three game suspension, contract amended to year-to-year, and he must make “a substantial donation to Xavier University.”
This following a pretty serious meeting with school President Gordon Gee, and input from the school’s administration, board of trustees, and the athletics department.
