Report: USF Investigating Associate Head Coach for Racist Comments

Steven Branscombe/USA TODAY Sports

The University of South Florida is investigating men's basketball associate head coach Tom Herrion following allegations that Herrion made multiple racist comments, according to DraftKingsNation's Collin Sherwin. 

According to Sherwin, who is a USF alumnus and a former school employee, the school is also investigating head coach Brian Gregory for "failing to discipline said coach or report the matter to USF Athletics," in Sherwin's words. 

The university said in a statement Thursday that “We are aware of troubling concerns that have been reported involving a member of our men’s basketball coaching staff. We take these matters very seriously. An independent review is ongoing and the involved staff member has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of that review. We will have no further comment until that process is complete.”

The staff member, not named by the school, has been placed on administrative leave. 

According to the Tampa Bay Times's Joey Knight, school administrators met with the team Thursday afternoon.

Since the team's season ended last week, six players—all of them Black—have entered the NCAA transfer portal, including redshirt junior Alexis Yetna, who reportedly entered on Thursday. 

Yetna won the AAC Freshman of the Year last season. 

Herrion had been the head coach at Marshall and College of Charleston and served as an assistant at a number of schools. He joined the Bulls in 2017 alongside Gregory. 

USF finished the 2020–21 season 9–13.