The “Dartgate” controversy is back in full force after ESPN aired the audio of a college basketball player allegedly yelling “F*** you” at a former coach.
The audio was recorded during a conference call with a former college basketball coach who allegedly made derogatory comments about former basketball player Michael Bennett.
The coach is identified as Mark Jackson and the audio was first reported by The Daily Beast.ESPN aired the call in which the former coach allegedly said Bennett was “a piece of s***” and that Bennett “is the reason I got fired.”
ESPN reported that the tape was not made public and that the player’s name was redacted.ESPN released the audio on Friday, which was then picked up by the website Deadspin.ESPN also released a statement about the tape saying the audio had been redacted because it was not publicly available.
“This audio was obtained from a confidential source and was made available only to ESPN employees.
ESPN is not in any way affiliated with the source of this audio and it has not been shared with the people involved,” the statement read.
“ESPN has zero tolerance for any form of racial or racial discrimination and will take any action that we deem necessary to remedy the situation.”
The audio, which is audio from a conference conference call between the coach and Bennett, was first published by The Guardian and The Daily Caller.
In it, the former player is heard screaming, “You f***ing piece of f***s!
You piece of sh**, you piece of piece of shit, f***er!
You f***in piece of pieces!” at the former assistant coach who reportedly told Bennett that he was a “piece of s**t” and “a f***head.”ESPN reported that Bennett’s name is redacted.
Jackson told ESPN on Friday that he believed the audio to be accurate.
“If he heard me say that he would have known that I meant it,” Jackson said.
“And if he heard my coach say that, he would know that I didn’t mean it.
And I would think that my coach would know I didn.
I would have seen it as a compliment.”
Jackson said he did not think the coach’s words had been “offensive” but did say that his reaction to the incident had been insensitive.
“I was offended by the comment,” Jackson told ESPN.
“I don’t think it’s right to say, you know, it’s offensive because it’s the way he spoke.
But at the same time, I understand what his intention was.
If you’re in a situation like that, the first thing you want to do is apologize.”
Jackson, who was named the 2016-17 American Athletic Conference coach of the year, was hired by ESPN last year as a college football analyst.ESPN had a relationship with Jackson that dates back to when the network made its first-ever college football broadcast.
In May of 2017, Jackson was named ESPN’s new college football voice analyst.
Jackson and ESPN are not the only people to have come under fire for racist remarks during a game.
Former NFL defensive lineman Greg Hardy was arrested in June of 2016 on suspicion of assault after police said he punched an opposing player during a preseason game in Miami.
The arrest and subsequent charges against Hardy were met with widespread backlash online, including a hashtag on Twitter that began trending in response to ESPN calling him “Greg Hardy.”ESPN’s handling of the Bennett situation has been particularly controversial.
ESPN said in May that Bennett would be suspended without pay for the remainder of the 2017-18 season.
