Creighton basketball coach Greg McDermott suspended for urging players to “stay in the field”

Creighton University suspended basketball coach Greg McDermott indefinitely on Thursday night for using racially insensitive language when speaking to the team after a game last weekend.

McDermott publicly apologized on Tuesday and Wednesday again for urging his players to “stay in the field” after Bluejays’ 77-69 defeat in 14th place in Xavier.

McDermott trained in the 72-60 defeat of Bluejays at No. 10 Villanova on Wednesday night. Assistant coach Alan Huss will serve as acting coach in the home game against Butler on Saturday.

“I made a mistake and it’s mine,” McDermott said in a post on Twitter after the suspension was announced. “Mistakes have consequences, and I accept and agree to the suspension.”

Atletico director Bruce Rasmussen said he and university president Reverend Daniel Hendrickson met with senior administrators on Thursday to determine disciplinary action against McDermott.

“Coach McDermott and the team accepted that, with immediate effect, he is suspended for all team activities, including the season finale at home on Saturday against Butler.”

The university statement announcing the suspension did not specify how long McDermott would be suspended. Creighton athletic spokesman Rob Anderson told the Associated Press that no end date has been set.

Rasmussen said additional sanctions are being considered, none of which will be made public.

“Coach McDermott and our track and field program should use this incident as an opportunity for growth and learning, as it is clear that more work needs to be done.”

McDermott, in an apology he posted on Twitter on Tuesday, acknowledged saying, “Guys, we have to be together. We need both feet inside. I need everyone to stay on the plantation. I can’t let anyone leave the plantation. “

McDermott, who is white, said he immediately recognized that he had made a “flagrant mistake” and discussed with his team the use of a term that evoked slavery and the South before the war.

In a statement, the university called McDermott’s language “deplorable” and said it was inconsistent with the private Jesuit school’s values ​​and commitment to creating a welcoming environment.