Collin Sexton Claims Media Blew John Beilein's Comments Out of Proportion
Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein has gotten backlash for some racially-charged language he used during a film session a few days ago. After apologizing and explaining the mishap to the media, Collin Sexton defended his coach.
Sexton explained that his coach constantly calls his team slugs when they play slow, so he knew exactly what the second-year coach meant when he called them "thugs".
#Cavs Collin Sexton: "He calls us slugs all the time. Because we slow. But it’s good. We knew what he meant, just blown out of proportion."
— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) January 10, 2020
However, not everybody bought the apology Beilein gave his players and the media.
Former NBA players Chauncey Billups and Kendrick Perkins on "The Jump" shared that they did not fully believe in the apology, thinking it was just a cover up from the backlash.
Cavaliers Coach John Beilein has apologized to his players, saying that when he told them they were "no longer playing like a bunch of thugs," he meant to use the word "slugs." Chauncey Billups & Kendrick Perkins aren't buying it. pic.twitter.com/coKowgkYxn
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 9, 2020
However, some former NBA players are taking it in a different direction. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal stated on NBA on TNT that he believes that if the players need an apology for something as small as this, then they will never win in this league.
Shaq defends John Beilein
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) January 10, 2020
“If you have to be apologized to for your coach calling you thug, you ain’t gon never win. You’re soft”
(? @ClutchPointsNBA )
pic.twitter.com/ckfRoTzqYe
While Shaq makes a good point, coach Beilein should still choose his words more carefully moving forward. Losing the locker room is a huge issue, and leads to coaches being fired.