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Texas Tech men's basketball coach Mark Adams was suspended Sunday (March 5) over what the school referred to as "an inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment” he made about a player on his team, the Associated Press reports.
Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt had previously confirmed that he was aware of the incident, which reportedly took place during a meeting between Adams and a player who was not identified, on Friday (March 3) and issued a written reprimand before issuing the suspension in order to further investigate the situation.
“Adams was encouraging the student-athlete to be more receptive to coaching and referenced Bible verses about workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters,” the statement said via the AP. “Adams immediately addressed this with the team and apologized.”
Texas Tech didn't specify who would fill in for Adams during the upcoming Big 12 Tournament, with the ninth seed Red Raiders scheduled to face West Virginia in Kansas City, Missouri, Wednesday (March 8) night.
Adams, 66, is in his second season at Texas Tech having replaced former head coach Chris Beard, who left the program to take over at his alma matter, the University of Texas, before being fired by the Longhorns this season after being charged in a felony domestic violence case, which was later dropped by prosecutors.
Adams, who had previously worked as an assistant coach on Beard's staff prior to being promoted, has an 87-114 career NCAA head coaching record, which includes a 43-24 (17-18 Big 12) overall record at Texas Tech and a 44-90 (28-62 Sun Belt) record at Texas-Pan American from 1992-97.