Texas Tech suspends basketball coach Mark Adams for ‘slaves serving their masters’ comment to player

Texas Tech has suspended men’s basketball coach Mark Adams after he made a comment about “slaves serving their masters” to a player on the team, the school announced.

Athletics director Kirby Hocutt was informed on Friday of the incident, which the school said took place during a coaching session.

Adams, 66, coached Texas Tech during Saturday’s loss to Oklahoma State.

The school described the comment as “inappropriate, unacceptable and racially insensitive.”

“Adams was encouraging the student-athlete to be more receptive to coaching and referenced Bible verses about workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters. Adams immediately addressed this with the team and apologized,” Texas Tech’s statement said.

“Upon learning of the incident, Hocutt addressed this matter with Adams and issued him a written reprimand. Hocutt subsequently made the decision to suspend Adams effective immediately in order to conduct a more thorough inquiry of Adams’ interactions with his players and staff.”

Adams is in his second season as Texas Tech’s head coach.

He was an assistant coach for the team for five seasons before taking over in 2021 when Chris Beard went to Texas.

After reaching the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament last year, the Red Raiders are 16-15 this season with a 5-13 record in the Big 12, finishing in ninth place out of 10 in the conference.

Texas Tech is scheduled to play West Virginia on Wednesday in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.

Last April, Adams signed a five-year, $15.5 million contract extension with Texas Tech through the 2026-27 season, according to multiple reports.