Eden Prairie boy's basketball coach David Flom is back on the sidelines, but members of at least one Twin Cities basketball team aren't happy about it.
And their coach is backing them up.
Players at North St. Paul High School voted earlier in the week not to play the Eagles Friday night in Eden Prairie.
The Eagles' coach was suspended for more than a month after Eden Prairie school administrators were told that Flom read aloud a racial slur during what he called a learning session about responsible social media use.
North St. Paul boy's basketball coach Cornelius Gilleylen told Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News that he respects his players' actions.
"I have personal relationships with all of these players," he said. "As their mentor, as their coach, I was able to just understand where they were coming from, and be their support to let them know, hey, I have your back and I'm going to stand with you."
Eden Prairie went won seven games and lost five in Flom's absence, all under assistant coach Trevor Mbakwe, and two players left the team during the suspension.
Flom has apologized for his actions.
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An email notifying parents of Eden Prairie students about the cancellation went out earlier this week.
Flom returned to his coaching duties on Monday, and was on the sidelines for Tuesday's 112-71 home loss to Wayzata that dropped the Eagles' record to 8-6.
North St. Paul lost on Thursday night to Mahtomedi 76-44, dropping the Polars' record to 3-12.