Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim stuck his foot in his mouth this past week with a rather offensive comment made about his ACC rivals and the sports world is making him pay for it.
In a recent interview with ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Boeheim accused several ACC schools of “buying” their teams as part of a larger point about the state of money in college basketball. Boeheim later walked back his statement in that same interview, but it was too late.
This morning, Boeheim issued a formal apology for his statements yesterday. He asserted that he believes all ACC schools are in compliance with NCAA NIL rules and did not mean to imply otherwise.
“I would like to clarify remarks I made in a conversation I had with a media member following our game on Saturday evening. I apologize to the schools I mentioned. I believe the ACC member institutions are in compliance with NCAA rules governing Name, Image and Likeness. It was not my intention to imply otherwise,” Boeheim said in a statement.
College basketball fans aren’t buying it though. Many believe it’s a false apology and that he needs to go:
Someone please make him retire… he’s destroying the program every day he stays https://t.co/cLsnC4zgEq
— Prospector Sam ⛏️ (@prospector_sam) February 6, 2023
Not really sure this Monday-morning statement does much to address Boeheim’s Saturday-evening comments. https://t.co/Wxj6e34Cgo
— Les Johns (@Les_Johns) February 6, 2023
Is Boeheim gaslighting us?https://t.co/U3YCooo9JD
— Made For March (@madeformarch) February 6, 2023
retire already https://t.co/rJNuyQ2igU
— nickyb518 (@nickyb_518) February 6, 2023
Fake apology from a horrible coach and guy @therealboeheim https://t.co/doMcViaDwn
— Rico’s Rants (@RicosRants13) February 6, 2023
If Syracuse were top five in the ACC right now rather than a fringe NCAA Tournament team at 14-10, maybe he’d be able to get away with making an apology like this.
But with the team struggling the way it is, Boeheim has no room for error.
The sooner he gets back to winning, the sooner he’ll be able to put this behind him. He’s already indicated he plans to coach again in the 2023-24 season.