Controversy has arisen after West Virginia men’s basketball head coach, Bob Huggins, used a homophobic slur during a live radio interview on the Bill Cunningham Show (Yahoo Sports). This incident took place on Monday afternoon, and the hosts of the show were reportedly laughing hysterically as Huggins called Xavier fans the anti-gay slur (Yahoo Sports).
Huggins has since apologized for his insensitive choice of language, describing it as a “completely insensitive and abhorrent phrase” (CBS Sports). It is now up to the officials at West Virginia University to decide whether his apology is enough or if further consequences must be imposed on Huggins (CBS Sports).
The context in which Huggins made this offensive remark is while discussing Cincinnati’s rivalry with Xavier (The New York Times). The slur was used twice during the conversation, and Huggins has stated that he would “fully accept” any consequences that may result from the incident (The New York Times).
Some commentators, such as in USA Today, argue that Huggins should not be allowed to continue coaching at West Virginia after making the homophobic slur. They believe that this is not an issue of “wokeness” or “cancel culture”, but instead about Huggins, a 69-year-old coach, making such a disrespectful remark on a radio show (USA Today).
Sports Illustrated goes even further, stating that it’s hard to see how Huggins should keep his job at West Virginia. The article describes Huggins and Bill Cunningham, the radio show host, as “two Cincinnati characters, yucking it up Monday like old times”, alluding to the offensive nature of the slur used (Sports Illustrated).
Following the incident, WV Sports Now reached out to national media members in college basketball to get their thoughts on Huggins’ actions (WV Sports Now). The responses to Huggins’ comments will surely continue in the coming days, as both the public and those within the university decide how best to address the situation.
In the meantime, it is clear that Huggins’ use of a homophobic slur has sparked significant controversy today, with many calling for serious repercussions.
