Longtime West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins apologized Monday afternoon after using an anti-gay slur during an appearance on a Cincinnati sports radio show.
Huggins said in a statement released through the school that he “used a completely insensitive and hateful phrase, for which there is absolutely no excuse.”
Huggins appeared Monday on The Bill Cunningham Show, which appears on Cincinnati radio station 700WLW. Very early in the interview, Huggins was asked about whether he “poached any Xavier boys to come to West Virginia” in the transfer portal. Xavier, a private Catholic university, is located in Cincinnati.
“Catholics don't do that,” he quickly replied.
“Any school that can throw a rubber penis on the floor and then say it didn't do it, gosh they can do anything.”
One of the show's hosts then made a comment that it was “transgender night”, referring to Huggins at the game—which reportedly came about when he was coaching in Cincinnati and Xavier fans threw dildos at the court.
That's when Huggins used an anti-gay slur.
“What was it all that bullshit, those Catholic f**ks I guess,” Huggins said. “They were jealous that they didn't have one.”
WARNING: This audio contains NSFW language
The show's hosts closed the interview by laughing and saying that Huggins was “the best”.
It's unclear what punishment Huggins will receive, if any.
“There are consequences for our words and actions, and I will fully accept whatever comes my way,” he said in a statement. “I am ashamed and embarrassed and heartbroken for those I have hurt. I must do better, and I will.”
Huggins has been in West Virginia since 2007. He compiled a 345–203 record in his 16 seasons with the Mountaineers, and appeared in the NCAA Tournament 11 times. They won the Big 12 Tournament in 2010 and reached the Final Four that year. The Mountaineers went 19–15 the previous season, and were swept out of the NCAA Tournament in the first round by Maryland.
Huggins made his coaching debut in 1984 at Akron. He spent five seasons there before moving to Cincinnati, where he remained for 16 seasons. The Bearcats went to 14 straight NCAA Tournaments under Huggins, and reached a Final Four in 1992. He spent one season at Kansas State before landing at Morgantown.