Pat Fitzgerald’s foot-in-mouth Twitter comment draws ire of NBA fans (UPDATED)

Any player who is angry about this should look squarely in the mirror. Fitzgerald played and coaches at a school where class is more important than showboating, and where the team is more important than any individual. He is dead on about most of the NBA. They are a bunch of entitled babies who would be working at 7-11 if they didn't have an NBA.

Pat Fitzgerald is getting crucified and Jason Whitlock get a free pass. You see, it's ok for an African American to make a racist comment but heaven forbid if a caucasian makes even a borderline (at best) "racist" comment.

So shouldn't this article be deleted since it wasn't Fitzgerald? You spend the entire time bashing Pat and then at the bottom, there's one paragraph stating it wasn't him. Just delete the whole thing.

Um, has anyone ever seen the NBA? For every Rose & Lin, there's about 20 thugs who care only about themselves, don't work hard but get paid lavishly, disrespects refs, fight in clubs, etc..

What a cracker, eh? Much ado about nothing from the race baiters.

You know America is going down hill when just having an opinion is called "foot-in-mouth" ... swing and a miss Graham is your attempt to make controversy out of nothing. Did it ever occur to you that maybe the people saying its racist are the ones who should be made to feel like they put their foots in their mouths? The race card is sooooooo 2008.

It is hard to give praise to anyone without offending another. Why are we so sensitive and really gives a rat #$%$.......oh sorry rat.

sometimes the truth hurts.

Fitzgerald is a real man, not afraid to speak the truth. I quit watching the Thug Basketball League long ago. Nothing about race, all about boring dunks and even more boring players.

Do we need to really bring out the PC police on this ? Are there NBA players out there that are hurt by this ? They all make more money than what they know what to do with. Just ask A. I. .

What's racist about that? Jeez, getting where you can't even express an opinion. "Degrading an entire league...." OK, so now you have to say "Excepting, of course, X, Y and Z...." It's just like saying "Bama fans are all...." or "Auburn fans always...." You know that not all of them do whatever it is. It's just a generalization, easier than naming EVERY fan who does something (if that were possible!). Stop being such whiny, fragile, easily-offended pusses!

"Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose, who is widely considered one of the hardest working players in the NBA and one of the overall good guys in the league."
I agree, he is clearly hard working, but all around good guy?! Give me a break. This is the same guy who had someone take his ACT for him and then the University of Memphis received sanctions from the NCAA. So, yeah, he is definitely not an all around good guy. He left Memphis for a multimillion dollar contract while they got their wins vacated and had to pay back tv money! Also, I'm really sick of people being called racists for simply having an opinion. If Pat Fitzgerald feels like Jeremy Lin is the type of basketball player he prefers, so be it. He is a coach at Northwestern which recruits well educated, ethical, leaders!

The comment was not “stupid.” It is a fair opinion of anyone who watched a Knicks game before Lyn played. Sure it may be a little broad, but it is pretty valid. This is certainly not worth any backlash.

Fitzgerald did nothing wrong. He like me, is sick and tried of having goof offs parade as professional NBA players. He did nto say all NBA players are lazy and spoiled. He did say Lin is not. If others want to recieve teh compoliment earn oit and stop the whining. First amendment still exists and even now truth is a pretty good proetction.

Give me Chamberlain, Russell, Connie Hawkins, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson and that team would beat to death tehse modern pretenders. Add John Havlichek and Earl Monroe and Doctor J and it simply would not be fair. NBA has a mercy rule right?

He made a valid comment. What is the controversy? I guess its Lin's fault that he doesn't have 5 kids and didn't cheat to get into college.

Is whole thing is garbage. Are nba players professionals or third grade school girls. Get over it! Go huskers

P.s. that's not a misprint Go big red!!!

"...Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose, who is widely considered...one of the overall good guys in the league."

Yes, what NBA needs more of is practitioners of academic fraud like Derrick Rose.

I am just struggling to see how a very positive comment by a white guy about a non-white NBA player is racists. For all of you sensitive whiners, the bit dog always barks. If your sensitive your sensitive because you know that the implied negative is true. Act right and you will be respected and treated right.

If it wasnt for the NBA most of theese guys would be picking up gardage or working the fry station a Burger King or McDonalds!

"but that doesn't give Fitzgerald carte blanche to degrade the rest of the league"
Is that an even-handed characterization of what Fitzgerald did? How do you read his compliment to Lin as being a "degradation" of the entire NBA? If his comments upset NBA fans, that says more about them than it does him.