Bruce Rasmussen, athletics director at Creighton announced Thursday night that Bluejays basketball coach Greg McDermott has been suspended at least until the end of Sunday’s regular season against Butler, while the consequences of McDermott’s use of racially insensitive language continue.
“After our Creighton men’s basketball team returned to Omaha earlier today, [Father] Hendrickson and I engaged with other senior leaders in a dialogue and discussion on appropriate sanctions for comments made by male basketball coach Greg McDermott that were not in line with Creighton’s commitment to racial equality, diversity and respect, ” Rasmussen said in a statement. “Coach McDermott and the team accepted that, with immediate effect, he is suspended from all team activities, including the season finale at home against Butler on Saturday. Other sanctions are still being considered, not all of which will be shared publicly. assistant coach Al Huss will serve as interim coach.
“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 later said he “made a mistake” in his choice of words and would accept the suspension.
McDermott said earlier this week that he would have resigned if his players wanted to, after he admitted “a blatant mistake” made in the locker room after a defeat last weekend.
“If they had chosen to let me go, I would have gone,” McDermott said in an interview with 1620 The Zone, according to the Omaha World-Herald. “But that is not what they wanted.”
McDermott initially apologized on Tuesday night for comments made on Saturday after a 77-69 loss to Xavier. In the apology, posted on Twitter, McDermott included the full analogy, which reads as follows:
“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.”
“I never used that analogy and it doesn’t indicate who I am as a person or as a coach,” said McDermott. “I am deeply sorry. I apologized to our student-athletes and our team, as well as President Hendrickson and Athletics Director Bruce Rasmussen.”
Creighton issued a separate statement Tuesday night on the matter, condemning the language as “deplorable”. He added that any disciplinary action taken against McDermott will remain confidential.
“While an apology is a start, and while we believe it was not characteristic of Coach McDermott, it in no way detracts from the fact that his comment was detrimental to many and has absolutely no place in the Creighton community,” said the statement. of Creighton. . “We offer our full and unconditional support to those affected by your words.”
Creighton’s technical assistant, Terrence Rencher, who is also a member of Coaches For Action, also released a statement on the subject. Rencher has been part of the McDermott team since 2019.
McDermott has been Creighton’s coach since 2010. He has led the team to five NCAA tournaments and is on track to reach sixth place this season, with the Bluejays (17-7) being ranked number 6 in Jerry Palm’s last bracket.