OT: Update Bob Huggins to Receive $1M Salary Reduction and Sensitivity Training

[Knight Shift]

Huggins appeared on the Bill Cunningham Show on Monday, which airs on Cincinnati radio station 700WLW. Pretty quickly into the interview, Huggins was asked about whether he had “poached any Xavier guys to come to West Virginia” in the transfer portal. Xavier, the private Catholic university, is located in Cincinnati.

“Catholics don’t do that,” he quickly replied.

“Any school that can throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it, my god they can get away with anything.”

One of the show hosts then made a comment that it was “transgender night” at the game Huggins was referring to — which allegedly came when he was coaching at Cincinnati and Xavier fans threw dildos onto the court.

That’s when Huggins used the anti-gay slur.

“What it was was all those f**s, those Catholic f**s I think,” Huggins said. “They were envious they didn’t have one.”

https://sports.yahoo.com/west-virgi...ti-gay-slur-in-radio-interview-212451232.html

UPDATED 5/10/2023:

 

[Knightmoves]

We all love Huggy but do these comments get him cancelled?

Keep in mind that he was talking about Xavier fans throwing rubber penises on the floor and then denying it.

 

[RUPete]

We all love Huggy but do these comments get him cancelled?

Keep in mind that he was talking about Xavier fans throwing rubber penises on the floor and then denying it.

Thanks for the context. Couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. If anything, he gets dinged somehow for going after a religious group. But I don’t see him getting cancelled unless WVU is looking for an excuse to do so.

 

[RUfan1027]

I just don't think nowadays you can call a group of people that and get away with it. I am Catholic and could care less about the religious part, but the homophobic part is not a good look. My wife and I have a gay friend who constantly uses the word, Huggy used, to describe other gays....but most people in that category are unlike him and are highly offended by the terminology. Also, let's be honest, West Virginia alumni are not going to be offended....because it is West Virginia lol. An apology and a fine may suffice, but we'll see.

 

[ImBadRU]

He will be fired no chance he survives this.

 

[mikeyoc]

He will be fired no chance he survives this.

You're probably right. But I'd be willing to bet that his players couldn't care less

 

[MADHAT1]

He will be fired no chance he survives this.

Think not for what you're implying.
The only reason will be this isn't good enough

2018–19	West Virginia	15–21	4–14	10th	CBI Quarterfinal
2019–20	West Virginia	21–10	9–9	T–3rd	No postseason held
2020–21	West Virginia	19–10	11–6	T–3rd	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2021–22	West Virginia	16–17	4–14	10th
2022–23	West Virginia	19–15	7–11	8th	NCAA Division I Round of 64

But in a dick like move, the WV AD and/or President will use that BS as the reason.

 

[dconifer0]

. Also, let's be honest, West Virginia alumni are not going to be offended....because it is West Virginia lol. An apology and a fine may suffice, but we'll see.

Would Rutgers alumni care? I'm sure some would and some wouldn't care if the hall-of-fame basketball coach said that.

Same as West Virginia alumni…

 

[koleszar]

You're probably right. But I'd be willing to bet that his players couldn't care less

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired.

 

[Knight Shift]

Thanks for the context. Couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. If anything, he gets dinged somehow for going after a religious group. But I don’t see him getting cancelled unless WVU is looking for an excuse to do so.

Originally posted a link to the story, which was a Bleacher Report story, and it did not post. Fixed, and fixed quote.

IDK in today's world, and regardless, the totality of his statement and "not having one" may be a problem for him. About 20 years ago, it may not have mattered.

While Mike Rice did other bad things, part of the reasons he was suspended and then fired was due to uproar over similar words he used.

"Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti said specifically the gay slur was "at the core of the suspension."



In the video, Rice is shown calling a player a "(expletive) fairy" and "(expletive) ******."

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2013/04/mike_rice_used_gay_slur_toward.html

 

[Knight Shift]

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired.

But that is not the standard. Regardless of whether what the majority of people are offended by or tolerate, hate speech is hate speech, and generally, academic institutions and corporations don't tolerate their leaders using demeaning words to refer to or characterize protected classes of people. Not going on a social justice rant here, just pointing out that is not really the standard when decision makers make these decisions. They often err on the side of doing the politically correct thing.

 

[MADHAT1]

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired.

At Rutgers whay you're saying would prove true, but the Mountaineer administration might be made of sterner stuff because their local media isn't out for the kill like the NJ local media would be and the NYC media pick up on it.
Don't think the Pittsburgh press will be making an issue over what Huggins said and WV is too far away for the NYC media to care

 

[RUPete]

Originally posted a link to the story, which was a Bleacher Report story, and it did not post. Fixed, and fixed quote.

IDK in today's world, and regardless, the totality of his statement and "not having one" may be a problem for him. About 20 years ago, it may not have mattered.

While Mike Rice did other bad things, part of the reasons he was suspended and then fired was due to uproar over similar words he used.

"Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti said specifically the gay slur was "at the core of the suspension."



In the video, Rice is shown calling a player a "(expletive) fairy" and "(expletive) ******."

https://www.nj.com/rutgersbasketball/2013/04/mike_rice_used_gay_slur_toward.html

I didn’t take that as a gay slur. I took it as he was saying the students didn’t have the guts to own up to what they did.

 

[Knight Shift]

I didn’t take that as a gay slur. I took it as he was saying the students didn’t have the guts to own up to what they did.

The first response, yes, but when he replied to the transgender night comment, was he specifically referring to the transgender fans throwing dildos? :
“What it was was all those f**s, those Catholic f**s I think,” Huggins said. “They were envious they didn’t have one.”

 

[AreYouNUTS]

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired.

This.

 

[Joey Bags]

He’s toast, no professionalism there. Drop that on a conference call and see what happens.

His brain is straight lorraine swiss after all that sauce.

 

[RUKen]

He is getting terminated. He made these comments publicly. They are out there. He is gone

 

[Ru7580]

If he’s fired he absolutely deserves it. No room for that kind of language from a very highly paid state employee. If you want to be a bigot go do it in private if you must. Thankfully our societal standards have moved beyond this type of behavior being anything other than unacceptable.

 

[RUDiddy777]

Done.

 

[jrm75]

Let's not defend the jerk - that is soo offensive and you all know it.

 

[fatsam98]

Crazy to say that during a live interview. Wtf was he thinking, tough to fathom.

 

[Knight Shift]

Crazy to say that during a live interview. Wtf was he thinking, tough to fathom.

Jeff Spicoli survived, but that was 41 years ago.
The radio interviewer with Huggins was channeling Stu Nahan?

 

[Knight Shift]

Dan WOKEN weighs in:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...go-west-virginia-homophobic-slur/70197498007/

 

[RutgersChow]

If he’s fired he absolutely deserves it. No room for that kind of language from a very highly paid state employee. If you want to be a bigot go do it in private if you must. Thankfully our societal standards have moved beyond this type of behavior being anything other than unacceptable.

He deserves to be fired, but it is West Virginia, so who knows.

 

[AdventureHasAName]

In the mid-90s, I worked as yellow jacket security at the RAC (and the football games) while I was in school. There was one game where I was directly behind the visiting bench where I heard him use the N-word more times than I ever heard a white person say it before or since. And I mean he said it directly to his players' faces (as in, "If you two n******s don't start hustling, I'm gonna plant your *** on that bench for the rest of the night.") It was loud and it was not discrete. He said it enough that the people at the scorers table were giggling and looking around like, "Holy ****, can you believe this?"

It was that night I learned that if you win, you can do or say anything you want.

As an aside, over three years of yellow jacket stuff, I heard every slur known to man said by both Rutgers staff and players and opposing staff and players. That's why I found everyone clutching their pearls at the Imus story and the Mike Rice story to be completely full of ****.

 

[Colbert17!]

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired

That covers just about everything these days

 

[TDIrish27]

Trashing Catholics no big deal in the world of today.

Bob Huggins will be the HBC at WVU this season.

 

[RUskoolie]

Outside of your typical fake outrage. I don't think anyone really cares what he said. As if you all don't say stupid things.

 

[bac2therac]

He will be fired but im more concerned of whats going on at the Xavier game and why its being normalized

 

[RUKen]

Trashing Catholics no big deal in the world of today.

Bob Huggins will be the HBC at WVU this season.

Not sure this will be about trashing Catholics. At least not entirely.

 

[dconifer0]

Let's not defend the jerk - that is soo offensive and you all know it.

Just to be clear, my comment was not to defend the unacceptable words. I just object to statements that say or imply that the people of West Virginia are amoral dirt bags, as opposed to the angelic population here in New Jersey who are horrified one and all. Yes, many people there won't care -- just like many in New Jersey won't care.

I have a lot of connections to West Virginia, and friends/family there, so I am probably oversensitive, but there is some hypocrisy and self-adulation going on with statements like that...

 

[GotEmmm]

I bet the vast majority could care less, but the vocal minority will get him fired.

The vast majority of Americans support gay marriage, so I’d venture to guess this comment is untrue. Maybe just your bubble wouldn’t care?

 

[GotEmmm]

I didn’t take that as a gay slur. I took it as he was saying the students didn’t have the guts to own up to what they did.

Did you just say you didn’t take his use of the word f** as a gay slur? Lol what?

 

[MiloTalon13]

What I think will happen: Huggins gets fired
What I wish would happen: I wish people would get over themselves and stop letting words FROM A BASKETBALL COACH be so powerful - let guys say stuff like this, it's funny, it's entertaining - get back to "sticks and stones"

Basketball coaches are in essence entertainers - let entertainers entertain

 

[Knight Shift]

Just to be clear, my comment was not to defend the unacceptable words. I just object to statements that say or imply that the people of West Virginia are amoral dirt bags, as opposed to the angelic population here in New Jersey who are horrified one and all. Yes, many people there won't care -- just like many in New Jersey won't care.

I have a lot of connections to West Virginia, and friends/family there, so I am probably oversensitive, but there is some hypocrisy and self-adulation going on with statements like that...

And engaging in the same hypocrisy some complain about in judging others. It's all the same. You see this alot with coastal elite states looking down their noses and making fun of people in the South and their accents. West Virginia does have that couch burning meme thing going in funny rivalry RU had with them when it was the guidos (also out of line) vs. the couch burners, but what you are talking about may be a different thing. However, guessing that WV is mostly a blue collar population, and generally speaking, they MAY not care as much about statements that offend anyone because they generally like to let it fly and have a laugh. With some groups, you can't do that any more.

 

[Knight Shift]

What I think will happen: Huggins gets fired
What I wish would happen: I wish people would get over themselves and stop letting words FROM A BASKETBALL COACH be so powerful - let guys say stuff like this, it's funny, it's entertaining - get back to "sticks and stones"

Basketball coaches are in essence entertainers - let entertainers entertain

IDK, but aren't they also leaders of young men, and aren't they supposed to set a good example of how to be a good citizen? Don't athletes spend the majority of their time while in college with their coaches?

 

[MiloTalon13]

IDK, but aren't they also leaders of young men, and aren't they supposed to set a good example of how to be a good citizen? Don't athletes spend the majority of their time while in college with their coaches?

The majority of their time? With the head coach? Not even close.

I think coaches can communicate to players and players are smart enough to figure out when their coaches are being role models and when they're being entertainers.

How many coaches do you think are great role models? Rick Pitino just signed a $20M contract.

 

[Knight Shift]

The majority of their time? With the head coach? Not even close.

I think coaches can communicate to players and players are smart enough to figure out when their coaches are being role models and when they're being entertainers.

How many coaches do you think are great role models? Rick Pitino just signed a $20M contract.

One data point does not make a point, does it? Would be an interesting survey to take all of the P5 hoops and football coaches and vote them as good role models or poor role models.

To be clear, I don't think Huggins should be fired. What he said was offensive to Catholics and gay and transgender people. But it seemed to be an off the cuff remark and he was trying to hard to be funny. He owned it right away and apologized. The cancel culture has to stop. He apologized. He can make good. He has not been a saint, but as you said, he is a basketball coach, not a spiritual leader.

This sums it up, but he will likely be canceled.

 

[toby83]

Oh my god he used a bad bad hateful word!!

Peoples feelings are so so hurt because of his ignorance. What an old ignorant basketball coach says about gays really should make everybody upset. Not sure how I will get by this. Not sure how anybody else will get by this.

We have to cancel John Denver Country Roads and possibly the Civil War as well.

Somebody give me a heads up where we are protesting. I will gather up the jobless dyed hair fat ugly "women" to join us.

 

[dconifer0]

And engaging in the same hypocrisy some complain about in judging others. It's all the same. You see this alot with coastal elite states looking down their noses and making fun of people in the South and their accents. West Virginia does have that couch burning meme thing going in funny rivalry RU had with them when it was the guidos (also out of line) vs. the couch burners, but what you are talking about may be a different thing. However, guessing that WV is mostly a blue collar population, and generally speaking, they MAY not care as much about statements that offend anyone because they generally like to let it fly and have a laugh. With some groups, you can't do that any more.

Well, truth be told, burning couches in the Sunnyside section of town (well, the old Sunnyside) is something the Mountaineer students revel in. Fact...

ETA: I hope that didn't sound argumentative; I really agree with everything you've said in this thread, 100%...