Texas State's Danny Kaspar Resigns After Investigation into Racist Remarks
Sep 22, 2020
FILE - In this March 12, 2017, file photo, Texas State coach Danny Kaspar reacts during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Troy for the Sun Belt tournament title in New Orleans. Texas State ordered an investigation Friday, June 5, 2020, into a former basketball player's allegations of racist remarks by coach Danny Kaspar. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Danny Kaspar resigned as the head coach of the Texas State men's basketball team following allegations he made racist comments to players.
Travis Recek of Spectrum News shared the school's announcement, which noted Terrence Johnson will be the team's head coach in 2020-21.
In June, multiple former players said Kaspar directed racist and xenophobic remarks and jokes at players during his time as head coach, per Scott Gleeson of USA Today.
Former Texas State point guard Jaylen Shead said in a tweet Kaspar suggested he would have an international player deported, made racist comments toward Black players and even said the members of the team would run faster if a "brown man with a [turban] and an AK-47" came into the gym, per Gleeson.
Shead came to Texas State following time at Cal Poly and eventually transfered to Washington State.
His former teammate, Alex Peacock, told ESPN'sJeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf"there is no embellishment in what he said," when discussing Shead's allegations.
"I personally find these allegations deeply troubling," athletic director Larry Teis said in a statement at the time, per Borzello and Medcalf. "I, and the entire Department of Athletics staff, take the concerns expressed by our former student-athletes very seriously. At my request, the university has launched a formal investigation through the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX. It is our top priority to fully cooperate with the investigation."
Kaspar had been the head coach at Texas State since the 2013-14 campaign following 13 seasons as the head coach of Stephen F. Austin. He made the NCAA tournament once with Stephen F. Austin but failed to do so with Texas State.
He finishes his time with the Bobcats with a 119-109 record.
Former Texas State Players Allege Head Coach Danny Kaspar Made Racist Remarks
Jun 5, 2020
NEW ORLEANS, LA - MARCH 12: Head coach Danny Kaspar of the Texas State Bobcats reacts during the first half of a game against the Troy Trojans in the final round of the Sun Belt Basketball Tournament at UNO Lakefront Arena on March 12, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Former Texas State men's basketball player Jaylen Shead said in a tweet Thursday that Bobcats head coach Danny Kaspar made numerous racist remarks toward himself and other players:
"[Shead] said Kaspar told a roster of predominantly black players to 'chase that chicken' when he wanted them to run faster and told players who didn't exceed a 2.2 GPA that they'd end up working at Popeyes.
"Kaspar also suggested he would have an international player deported, according to Shead, who started his college career at Cal Poly before transferring to Texas State and finally ending his career at Washington State last season.
"In practice, when Kaspar wanted players to speed up, he allegedly told them they'd run faster if a 'brown man with a [turban] and an AK-47' entered the gym.'"
In addition, Shead said Kaspar told a European player who was having a rough practice that "a lot of the boosters/alumni here at Texas State are [President Donald Trump] supporters, you keep messing up, I'll have you deported."
Shead also said that durags and earrings were prohibited and that there was a limit on how long players could grow their hair.
The list of bans also included tattoos, per Shead, who said that Kaspar told him that tattoos were "tacky" and that he was "better than that."
Shead's comments were backed by ex-teammate Alex Peacock in comments made to Borzello and Medcalf.
"There is no embellishment in what he said," Peacock told the ESPN duo.
Borzello and Medcalf then paraphrased Peacock's comments regarding Kaspar's alleged actions: "Kaspar threatened to use racial slurs, which Shead's tweet referenced, after hearing the team's black players use a variation of the N-word among one another."
Peacock added: "He told the black players that if you can use it, I can use it. That's one of the ones where you're like, 'OK... no.' Those are two different meanings than when we use it."
Shead was the starting point guard for the 2018-19 Bobcats, averaging 7.9 points and a team-high 4.8 assists per game. The Bobcats went 24-10 and finished second in the Sun Belt. Shead transferred to Washington State after the season.
Peacock was a starting forward on that team, posting 8.2 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Kaspar, 65, has been a men's college basketball head coach since 1991. He coached at Incarnate Word from 1991-2000 before moving onto Stephen F. Austin, where he stayed until 2013. He's been at Texas State ever since.
