Basketball coach Gregg Marshall suspended at least once while at Winthrop, former AD says
Tom Hickman, former Winthrop athletic director, said the university suspended Gregg Marshall at least once for the basketball coach’s behavior while both were at the school. The once-AD, however, also denied that Marshall was abusive or racist.
Marshall, now the head coach at Wichita State, is under investigation for allegedly physically and verbally abusing his players there. The Athletic on Tuesday reported that Marshall also allegedly abused players and made at least one racist comment during his tenure at Winthrop, where he coached from 1998 until 2007.
In phone conversations with The Herald on Tuesday and Wednesday, Hickman could not recall the specifics of Marshall’s suspension or whether it included missing games or other basketball activities.
“There was at least one occasion where there was a suspension of some type,” Hickman told The Herald on Tuesday. “I feel very comfortable with the way we handled things here. Now, not all of the players liked the atmosphere that he had. He was tough. He was hard. He conditioned them hard, and that was particularly true early on, when he first came in.”
Discussions about Marshall’s behavior
Hickman, who retired in 2016 after 27 years at the Rock Hill school, said he had discussions with Marshall about his behavior, particularly early on during Marshall’s tenure.
“Gregg, is he temperamental? Yeah. But I don’t think that he is really abusive to the players that were here in a way that warranted any action further than what we took. You know, there could be letters of reprimand, for instance. I don’t remember specifically, but if there were ever situations, as I said before, that needed to be addressed in some way, then we did it.”
Hickman also told The Herald that the university’s issues with Marshall stemmed from the coach’s use of profanity.
“I think what we dealt with most often was language,” Hickman said, adding, “And so, you know, that was something we were paying attention to. But again, I don’t have any first-hand knowledge of any physical abuse.”
Jack Frost, former sports information director at Winthrop during Marshall’s time there, told The Herald in a phone interview earlier this month that he never saw or heard of Marshall physically abusing players while he was the coach at the school.
Marshall could not be reached by The Herald for comment. Chris Gaynor and Michael Jenkins, former Winthrop players, and Earl Grant, once on Marshall’s Winthrop staff, all declined to talk to The Herald.
Marshall’s alleged abuse, accusations against him
Seven former Winthrop players told The Athletic that the alleged abuse from Marshall came in the form of yelling and cursing at players; shoving players; and telling one player he would “send him back to Africa” for not playing well and more.
According to The Athletic, one player said about Marshall, “You’re a white guy, in South Carolina where the Confederate flag is still flying on the statehouse, and you’re telling a proud African man you’re going to send him back to Africa?”
Several other incidents about his behavior at Wichita State have been reported, too.
According to sports website Stadium, Marshall’s alleged abuse of Wichita State players includes punching forward Shaq Morris in the head during an October 2015 practice; choking former assistant coach Kyle Lindsted; taunting a player of Native American descent to “get back on his horse;” and body shaming.
In a statement posted on The Athletic’s website Tuesday, Marshall denied any wrongdoing.
“I am deeply committed to my players and the teams we have built together,” he wrote. “I believe unequivocally in their value as athletes, as students, and as people. Any portrayal of me to the contrary is wrong.”
During his time as coach at Winthrop, Marshall led the Eagles to the NCAA tournament seven times, including a 2007 win over Notre Dame, widely considered one of the best sports moments in Rock Hill history.
This story was originally published October 21, 2020 at 5:06 PM with the headline "Basketball coach Gregg Marshall suspended at least once while at Winthrop, former AD says."
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