Huggins in trouble?

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I meant Bruegel-esque, but the autocorrect is better.

Though I should add that most people don’t pull out their Haggadahs until after the Final Four…

Since I was eating a bagel while reading this I thought you meant Bruegger's bagels, though as a self-respecting resident of Manhattan (I was eating H&H), I find the name of that franchise to be an oxymoron as those are not bagels. But I digress.

If Huggins did not have a history of being a jerk I would not think as much of it as I am now (though I still would not have ignored it either). But at the same time, I think that, as others have noted, much of his fan base loves him for being a jerk, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Looking at their coaching staff, Huggins' top assistant is Ron Everhart who is about 60 and has significant head coaching experience and 10 years at WVA, so they could easily promote him for the short term. But I'm not sure if they want to take that big of a step - there is a huge continuum of ways they could react between doing nothing and kicking him out and I'm guessing they end up somewhere in the middle, likely closer to the nothing end - perhaps make him sit a few meaningless early season games.

[HoKogan]

I mean, WVA knew what they were getting when they hired him. If you told me a P6 head coach had said something really offensive in a radio interview, Huggy would have been no less than my 3rd or 4th guess (and maybe first).

And I agree that the interviewer deserves at least some kind of suspension. Being supportive of that kind of language, laughing at an offensive slur, is part of the problem.

He had a terrible reputation while at Cincinnati, but ever since he went to WVU, I hadn't really heard anything negative about him. Huggins, always struck me as someone with a Bobby Knight type personality. Not quite as volatile, and not as mean to his players, but definitely surly and unafraid to hurl slurs simply because he could do that without being rebuked back in the day.

[lotusland]

Lol! You and my daughter…who might have heard me use it a time or two…thousand

Yeah the F word is used diversely and liberally at my house. I picked my youngest son up from a Boy Scout camp-out and the scout leader pulled me aside to let me know the my son got a fish hook caught in his finger and said the F word twice. I told him I would let him know that was inappropriate but, for the record, at my house a fish hook in the finger justifies 2 F words and maybe 3.

And then there was the time my wife was mortified at a play date when my oldest son told his little friends that dammit was not a bad word because mommy says it all the time.

[duke2x]

I had to rewatch that clip because it also took place in Cincinnati. Still one of the funniest/saddest things that ever happened live on air.

Fun(?) fact: One of Coach K's sons-in-law went to the same high school as the announcer in question.

If Huggins did not have a history of being a jerk I would not think as much of it as I am now (though I still would not have ignored it either). But at the same time, I think that, as others have noted, much of his fan base loves him for being a jerk, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Looking at their coaching staff, Huggins' top assistant is Ron Everhart who is about 60 and has significant head coaching experience and 10 years at WVA, so they could easily promote him for the short term. But I'm not sure if they want to take that big of a step - there is a huge continuum of ways they could react between doing nothing and kicking him out and I'm guessing they end up somewhere in the middle, likely closer to the nothing end - perhaps make him sit a few meaningless early season games.

I think the ceiling is asking him to retire after the 2024 season, which is about where he would have been without the interview. WVA fans think they have a possible Final 4 team, but I'm not sure why.

[Kfanarmy]

Huggins presents a Bruegel-sequel landscape of castrated Catholics, hordes of gay Musketeers, a hailstorm of rubbery phalluses, all blended into a gender fluid soup. In one sentence, no less.

It’s nightmarish but coherent. Crisp yet dangerous. Like a half-filled glass of fine Cabernet that’s been left unattended for a week. Musky, perhaps overripe, perhaps it’s turned. Maybe that glass of fine wine has had its day, but it’s still capable of evoking intoxicating memories. The memories could be anything, but in this case, Huggins reminds us of long-ago pogroms against religious and sexual minorities, groups that were disenfranchised, disparaged, and sometimes killed. But, as is true with Proust’s madeleines, these memories aren’t just drily historical, they’re at the core of who we are, and they return day after day, since people tend to be people, and people mistrust the Other.

While his apology was obviously written by a PR hack, Huggins himself is poetic and abrupt, cutting right to the heart of humanity. His imagery reminds me of another set of horrifying images that are often discussed during March Madness: plagues of such things as frogs, lice, boils, hail, locusts, darkness. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to get from flying phalluses to the slaying of the firstborn. While some of his audience might not consciously link his comments to a Passover Seder, to the escape from bondage, etc, that’s the brilliance of Huggins’ poetry.

His university’s dilemma is similarly poignant: Huggins is easily the best coach they’re likely to get, and they compete in a tough conference. Much of their fan base probably doesn’t care about Huggins’ perspectives or sensitivities. It’s a state with 6% Catholics, among the lowest percentages in the country (fighting it out with Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Utah, in case you were curious). As a state, WV appears to loathe this whole “cancel culture” thing. And one sentence on a radio talk show? By a coach? We’ve seen worse by a President, and he didn’t seem to lose any votes.

For efficiently triggering another round in the culture wars, I have to say, well played, Mr Huggins!

uggh.

[BigZ]

I'm sure everyone in WV is upset

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I'm sure everyone in WV is upset

I suspect that maybe a few people are. But I'm not sure about the general population.

[BigZ]

I suspect that maybe a few people are. But I'm not sure about the general population.

I was being sarcastic. After hearing the audio he was more talking crap about Xavier than the gay community.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I was being sarcastic. After hearing the audio he was more talking crap about Xavier than the gay community.

Oh I know. I was piggybacking on your comment.

I don't pretend to know the social demographics of West Virginia, but my dumb self assumes that it isn't a very progressive state.

At the same time, the fact that Coach was able to insult Catholics, homosexuals, and the city of Cincinnati in one fell swoop is pretty impressive.

[Steven43]

As a state, WV appears to loathe this whole “cancel culture” thing. And one sentence on a radio talk show? By a coach? We’ve seen worse by a President, and he didn’t seem to lose any votes.

Well, he did quite dramatically lose the 2018 midterm elections, fairly decisively lost the 2020 presidential election, and was considered the principal reason for his party’s significant underperformance in the 2022 midterms. The man is on a very serious losing streak.

So there’s that. 😉

[BigZ]

Nobody will remember by the weekend. WVU should just say nothing and then everyone will have moved on.

[BigZ]

Well, he did quite dramatically lose the 2018 midterm elections, fairly decisively lost the 2020 presidential election, and was considered the principal reason for his party’s significant underperformance in the 2022 midterms. The man is on a very serious losing streak.

So there’s that. 😉

West Virginia was his biggest margin of victory.

[AustinDevil]

After hearing the audio he was more talking crap about Xavier than the gay community.

Please explain.

[rsvman]

Huggins presents a Bruegel-sequel landscape of castrated Catholics, hordes of gay Musketeers, a hailstorm of rubbery phalluses, all blended into a gender fluid soup. In one sentence, no less.

It’s nightmarish but coherent. Crisp yet dangerous. Like a half-filled glass of fine Cabernet that’s been left unattended for a week. Musky, perhaps overripe, perhaps it’s turned. Maybe that glass of fine wine has had its day, but it’s still capable of evoking intoxicating memories. The memories could be anything, but in this case, Huggins reminds us of long-ago pogroms against religious and sexual minorities, groups that were disenfranchised, disparaged, and sometimes killed. But, as is true with Proust’s madeleines, these memories aren’t just drily historical, they’re at the core of who we are, and they return day after day, since people tend to be people, and people mistrust the Other.

While his apology was obviously written by a PR hack, Huggins himself is poetic and abrupt, cutting right to the heart of humanity. His imagery reminds me of another set of horrifying images that are often discussed during March Madness: plagues of such things as frogs, lice, boils, hail, locusts, darkness. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to get from flying phalluses to the slaying of the firstborn. While some of his audience might not consciously link his comments to a Passover Seder, to the escape from bondage, etc, that’s the brilliance of Huggins’ poetry.

His university’s dilemma is similarly poignant: Huggins is easily the best coach they’re likely to get, and they compete in a tough conference. Much of their fan base probably doesn’t care about Huggins’ perspectives or sensitivities. It’s a state with 6% Catholics, among the lowest percentages in the country (fighting it out with Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Utah, in case you were curious). As a state, WV appears to loathe this whole “cancel culture” thing. And one sentence on a radio talk show? By a coach? We’ve seen worse by a President, and he didn’t seem to lose any votes.

For efficiently triggering another round in the culture wars, I have to say, well played, Mr Huggins!

Not allowed to spork, but tried to for the Proust reference alone.

[DarkstarWahoo]

That statement makes me think Huggins is staying put. You don't need a lengthy review of an incident like this if you're going to fire him. You're setting up your talking points that you'll need when you announce he's keeping his job.

[MChambers]

Nick Castellanos will hit a home run tonight. Book it.

Have to point out that in the Phillies' first game since Huggins had his meltdown, Castellanos hit a home run: https://www.mlb.com/gameday/blue-jay...8244/final/box

Too bad that game wasn't Monday night.

[MChambers]

Huggins's pay reduced from $4.2 million to $3.2 million. Also some sort of suspension: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...-anti-gay-slur

I'm not going to say anything more, because I'm too angry.

[AustinDevil]

Huggins's pay reduced from $4.2 million to $3.2 million. Also some sort of suspension: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-ba...-anti-gay-slur

I'm not going to say anything more, because I'm too angry.

Angry that it wasn't more? I think that's a hell of a statement, considering the full context (meaning, it's WVU).

[budwom]

anyone who truly expected Huggins to be canned should pick up his or her game piece and move back three spaces.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Angry that it wasn't more? I think that's a hell of a statement, considering the full context (meaning, it's WVU).

I mean, what exactly WVU saying with this? "What you did was unacceptable. But just to show you we are serious, we are going to save 1 million dollars of your salary."

Feels weird, man.