Texas Tech University suspended its head men’s basketball coach Mark Adams on Sunday because of a “racially insensitive comment” he made to a player last week. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
March 5 (UPI) — Texas Tech University suspended its head men’s basketball coach Mark Adams on Sunday because of a “racially insensitive comment” he made to a player last week.
According to a press release from Texas Tech, Adams met with a player to discuss them being more receptive to coaching. During the discussion, Adams made a reference to a Bible verse that discusses “workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters.”
Adams, who is a 66-year-old White man, was reprimanded after the athletic department learned of the comments. He “immediately addressed this with the team and apologized,” the school said.
Athletics director Kirby Hocutt was informed of the incident on Friday and made the decision to immediately suspend Adams, who is in the second year of his contract. Hocutt is meeting with players individually on Sunday as part of an investigation into Adams’ interactions with them, the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports.
Adams succeeded former coach Chris Beard who left the Red Raiders to coach Texas in 2021. He is on a five-year contract reportedly worth more than $15 million.
Beard has since been fired as coach of the Longhorns after he was arrested on domestic violence charges in December. He allegedly choked a woman who he was in a relationship with, bit her and threw her off a bed.
Texas Tech plays West Virginia in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday.
