Arizona State forward Marcus Bagley says he was suspended for tweet clarifying lack of playing time

Arizona State forward Marcus Bagley, the younger brother of NBA forward Marvin Bagley, posted a message on social media earlier this week clarifying that he made a mistake following a game vs. Northern Arizona by making comments to head coach Bobby Hurley. On Tuesday, he took to social media again to announce he was suspended for his tweet.

“I was just suspended for this tweet,” Bagley posted on top of his original post. “For admitting I made a mistake.”

While he is clearly frustrated by the further punishment brought on by his attempt to provide clarity to fans and take responsibility for his absence, it does go against conventional sports culture which says no locker room issues should be publicly broadcasted. Bagley himself said, ”I usually don’t address locker room situations to media.”

Bagley also went on to say, “for some reason people aren’t being transparent.” While he did admit in his original message that the words he chose were a mistake, he told media and fans that his lack of playing time since has been, “100% punishment for what I said that day.”

Bagley has played just 17 college games in his three seasons in Tempe due to injuries and now this present issue. Over that career, he has averaged 10.9 points and 5.5 rebounds. He looked good to start this season as a Preseason All Pac-12 selection with an average of 12.5 points per game in his two appearances. Since then, Bagley has sat out for the issue he’s referring to and missed a 4-1 stretch for Arizona State.

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Despite possesses incredible talent which landed him on NBA Draft radars from a young age, an inability to stay healthy and on the floor has extended the college career of Marcus Bagley. He has played with a number of talented teammates but the Sun Devils continue to struggle over recent years to find consistent success.

Entering the 2022-23 season, head coach Bobby Hurley was widely believed to be on the hot seat, and locker room drama being aired out so publicly by one of his highest-profile players will not help calm the rumors. A quick resolution and on-court results would go a long way for both parties to move on and salvage their futures.