West Virginia Announces Punishment for Bob Huggins

Bob Huggins will receive a suspension, salary reduction and sensitivity training.

PITTSBURGH -- West Virginia president Gordon Gee and athletic director Wren Baker have handed down a mutually agreed upon punishment for men's basketball head coach Bob Huggins, who used a homophobic slur during a live radio appearance on WLW in Cincinnati. 

"It was inexcusable," Gee and Baker wrote in a statement addressing the incident. "It was a moment that unfairly and inappropriately hurt many people and has tarnished West Virginia University. It is also a moment that provides the opportunity for learning. A moment that can shine a light on the injustice and hate that often befall the members of our marginalized communities. While the University has never and will never condone the language used on Monday, we will use this moment to educate how the casual use of inflammatory language and implicit bias affect our culture, our community and our health and well-being."

The first part of Huggins' punishment will consist of sensitivity training with WVU's LGBTQ+ Center. Huggins and every current and future West Virginia coach will also participate in this programming. Under the guidance of the LGBTQ+ Center, Huggins will also meet with LGBTQ+ community leaders from across the state, which has the highest share of transgender youth in the country, according to a release from the school. ACLU-WV, Fairness WV, Morgantown Pride and others will lead those conversations about issues facing queer youth in West Virginia. 

Huggins will also be required to meet with leadership from WVU's Carruth Center to learn about mental health and how it affects college students in particular. 

He will also take a financial hit. Huggins' annual salary will be reduced by $1 million, all of which will go to support the WVU LGBTQ+ Center, the Carruth Center and other organizations that support queer people in West Virginia. Huggins has also agreed to make a "substantial donation" to Xavier University's Center for Faith and Justice and Center for Diversity and Inclusion. 

Huggins will face basketball-specific consequences too, including a three-game suspension at the beginning of the 2023-24 season, meaning he will be on the sidelines when Pitt visits Morgantown on December 6. 

His contract has been amended to a year-to-year agreement effective immediately and ending next April. Huggins has also been told that another similar incident will result in his firing. 

"I am looking forward to working with WVU's LGBTQ+ Center and other state organizations to learn more about the issues facing the community," Huggins said in a statement. "As a leader, I am eager to use my platform to take what I learn and share it with a broader audience. I also regret my comments regarding Xavier University. I am hopeful that my personal donation to the university to support its Center for Faith and Justice and its Center for Diversity and Inclusion will further the work it does and the impact it has on its students."

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