West Virginia men’s basketball coach Bob Huggins is under fire after audio of him using a homophobic slur during a radio interview spread across social media on Monday.
Speaking during an interview segment on the Bill Cunningham show on WLW in Cincinnati, Huggins called Xavier fans “Catholic f**s.”
Things get awkward after that with the hosts pausing for a moment before continuing the conversation.
WARNING: Audio contains strong homophobic language.
Prior to the comments, Huggins was asked if he has taken any Xavier players to play to West Virginia through the transfer portal. “Catholics don’t do that,” said Huggins.
“We’re above the fracas, aren’t we,” responded Cunningham.
“Absolutely man, I’ll tell you what, any school that can throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it, by god they can get away with anything,” said Huggins before then using the slur.
Huggins was the head coach of the University of Cincinnati’s basketball team from 1989–2005. He spent one year at Kansas State and then has been the Mountaineers' coach from 2007–present.
Huggins and the West Virginia athletics department both released statements about the incident Monday evening. WVU called the comments "insensitive" and "offensive" and said the situation is under review. Huggins apologized for the comments, said he is "ashamed and embarrassed and heartbroken," and said he will accept any consequences.