Geno Auriemma has been under fire for the way he acted after losing the Final Four game between UConn and South Carolina.
The Huskies head coach charged to Dawn Staley after the game for a handshake and started talking to her aggressively. The Gamecocks head coach then started screaming at him in return and said, “I’m gonna beat Geno’s a*s.”
Many fans, analysts and even celebrities expressed their disappointment in Auriemma’s behavior and called him out publicly. Following that, the UConn head coach issued an apology that many people thought was not genuine as he didn’t name Staley and only apologized to the South Carolina program as a whole.
A couple of days after South Carolina lost the national championship game, Auriemma issued an apology again and revealed he talked to Staley personally and apologized, while admitting he lost himself at the moment.
Fans on social media reacted to his apology statement.
“Let’s all remember bad behavior from our coaches, and the forgiveness shown to them, the next time a student athlete messes up.
Coaches are fully grown adults and we forgive bad behavior. Too often student athletes get punished for similar behavior,” one fan reacted.
“Certain things you can move on from, but not this. The guy is a total jerk. Dean has 1000 times more class,” another fan wrote.
“This should have been the first apology edition. You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” another fan pointed out.
“That poor PR team – they’ve been in a nightmare. I am sure working with him is rough. Him and Hurley would make that the toughest PR gig in basketball,” another fan added.
“Sounds good on paper but his actions say otherwise. This is not the first time Gino has acted like a sore loser, and it won’t be the last,” another fan highlighted.
“Has been spiraling downhill in the last few years time to move on,” another fan said.
Cam Newton Finds a Positive Perspective in Geno Auriemma-Dawn Staley Controversy
On a recent episode of the 4th and 1 with Cam Newton, the former NFL quarterback found a silver lining to what Auriemma did and said that the unfortunate situation was good for business and acted as a conversation starter for the women’s sport.
Newton said the Auriemma-Staley situation might break a stereotype that comes with women’s sports as they’re thought to have no “bravado” and said that a toxic element like this can be good for the game as it sells tickets.
Newton even advised that it shouldn’t just be the coaches that should get into these heated arguments and added that the sports doesn’t need more darlings as it instead needs demons.
“We need one of the players to say, hey, man, listen, you don’t rock with them, they don’t rock with them,” Newton said.
Newton also believes that it would be good for women’s basketball if even players get into heated confrontation once in a while.
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