West Virginia makes decision on Bob Huggins’ future
Oct 20, 2021; Kansas City, MO, USA; West Virginia coach Bob Huggins during the question and answer session during the Big 12 Basketball Tipoffat T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports
Bob Huggins has faced serious backlash this week after he used a gay slur during a radio interview, but the incident is not going to cost him his job.
Huggins will be welcomed back as the head coach at West Virginia next season if he fulfills certain requirements, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports. The 69-year-old coach is expected to receive a suspension and a $1 million reduction in his salary. Huggins will be required to attend sensitivity training.
Those are among the requirements for Huggins that are being finalized that he needs to fulfill in order to return.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) May 10, 2023
Huggins joined Bill Cunningham’s show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati for an appearance on Monday. During the interview, the hosts were talking about the rivalry between Cincinnati, where Huggins coached for over 25 years, and Xavier. While talking about Xavier fans supposedly throwing rubber penises onto the court during a rivalry game, Huggins called the fans Catholic f-gs. He used the word f-g twice (listen here).
Huggins issued a lengthy apology after audio of the interview emerged. West Virginia condemned the comments in a statement and said the situation is under review.
Huggins has been the head coach at West Virginia since 2007. He has 934 career coaching wins and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
