Gregg Marshall Says 'My Coaching Style Isn't For Everyone' In Response To Allegations Of Punching A Player And Verbally Abusing Players During His Career
So a couple of weeks ago this story broke. It was pretty damning allegations for Gregg Marshall which included punching a player, threatening a random student over a parking spot and a bunch of verbal allegations. The Athletic had it first and then later that night Stadium released another stories, with more names attached and more stories:
Fast forward to today and we have yet another story about Marshall. This time The Athletic talked to players at Winthrop, where Marshall was before Wichita State and yikes
We have more allegations of physical stuff (h/t The Athletic):
Marshall kicked a player out of practice, followed him out and then put his hands on the player, which was a common occurrence, the players said. In one oft-cited instance, Marshall got into a heated exchange with Derrick Knox, who yelled back at his coach. Marshall tossed him from practice, and as Knox was leaving, he muttered something under his breath. “Coach sprints from one bench to the other, where (Knox) was and jumps over the exercise bike that’s sitting there for players on the sidelines,’’ Eric Fisher said. “Basically shoves (Knox) and turns him around and is cussing at him. ‘What’d you say, motherfucker?’ They pulled (them) apart.’’
• During his first season at Winthrop, Marshall invited players to his house for his son Kellen’s second birthday. Kellen had gotten a new Wiffle ball set and was playing in the front yard with the players. The ball cracked, and the players told Kellen it was OK, they’d get him a new one. Marshall came outside and, upon finding out what happened, grew angry and grabbed one of his players by the shirt and threw him against a wall. The other players intervened and separated them. Dan Tollens recalls Marshall’s wife, Lynn, saying: “I just hate when he gets like this.
And a bunch more verbal abuse including telling a player he's going to send him back to Africa. Yeah, obviously you can't say that. So how does Marshall respond? With a statement that says this:
I acknowledge that my coaching style isn’t for everyone. I am passionate and energetic, and countless players have thrived on my programs and excelled in our team culture.
What an unreal response! Naturally he denies it all but saying his coaching style isn't for everyone? Uhh, dude you're 5 weeks from the start of the season and it's a minor miracle you still have a job right now. Maybe don't drop that line when you have two different programs coming out with these allegations. I'm all for tough coaching. It can be good for you to get yelled and screamed at, but there's also a line. You can't say the things Marshall did, especially at the collegiate level. And yeah, his teams have been good. He's a great X's and O's coach. But that's not enough to save his job if these allegations continue to come out and get proven true.
You know, I may think Marshall may have some anger issues. Remember this from a scrimmage in Canada?
Or his wife during the NCAA Tournament?
So like I said, we're 5 weeks to the start of the season and it's hard to see Marshall lasting the entire year. Wichita State already started an internal investigation:
The program has had a bunch of players transfer from the program the last couple of years and it's easy to say it's because of Marshall. What happens next is what I'm curious about though. What does Wichita do if Marshall gets fired or put on leave? Obviously short term you just move an assistant to interim coach, but this is a good job. They are in the AAC now and obviously have success making a Final Four and an undefeated regular season. This is a program that's made 7 NCAA Tournaments the last 8 seasons (not counting last year). It would be a major opening if Marshall gets fired. Just maybe avoid lines that say people aren't made for your coaching.