Greg McDermott, men’s basketball coach at Creighton University, was suspended on Thursday after urging his players to “stay on the plantation” during a locker room speech after a loss Saturday.
His suspension by Big East School in Nebraska was announced just two days after officials said any disciplinary action against McDermott would remain confidential.
“After our Creighton men’s basketball team returned to Omaha earlier today, Ms. Hendrickson and I spoke to other senior leaders and talked about appropriate sanctions for the remarks of Greg McDermott, head coach of basketball, that do not match Creighton’s commitment to racial equality, diversity and respect, “Creighton athletic director Bruce Rasmussen said in a statement.” Coach McDermott and the team accepted that he, immediately in force, be suspended from all team activities, including Saturday’s final. against Butler against the home. “
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McDermott, 56, who was in his 11th season with the Creighton Bluejays, indicated on Twitter on Thursday night that he had accepted the decision.
“I made a mistake and I own it. Mistakes have consequences, and I accept and agree with the suspension,” the coach wrote.
McDermott, who is White, admitted that he told his players after a 77-69 defeat against Xavier on Saturday: ‘Guys, we need to stay together. We need both feet. I need everyone to stay on the plantation. let someone leave the plantation. ‘
Creighton has a racially diverse ranking that includes several black players.
On Tuesday, McDermott apologized on Twitter and wrote that he used “a terribly inappropriate analogy to make a point of staying together as a team despite the loss.”
“I’ve never used that analogy and it’s not an indication of who I am as a person or as a coach,” McDermott said in his post. “I am very sorry. I apologized to our student-athletes and our staff.”
Creighton coach Greg McDermott watches the team during the second half of an NCAA basketball game against Butler in Indianapolis on January 16, 2021. (AP Photo / Darron Cummings, File)
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McDermott coached Creighton from the sidelines during the 72-60 defeat against Villanova on Wednesday, the Omaha World-Herald reported. It was the team’s first game since its controversial remarks.
The assistant coach, Alan Huss, has since been appointed as the interim head coach, according to Rasmussen’s statement on Thursday. The school added that McDermott could face further disciplinary action.
“Coach McDermott and our athletics program should use this incident as an opportunity for growth and learning, as more work clearly needs to be done,” the statement said.
The Bluejays start playing next week during the Big East tournament.
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Before joining the Creighton Concert, McDermott was head coach in the state of Iowa, Northern Iowa and North Dakota.
Associated Press contributed to this report