Texas Tech's Mark Adams suspended through Big 12 tournament; assistant Corey Williams named interim coach
Texas Tech has suspended men's basketball coach Mark Adams through the Big 12 tournament, the school announced Monday.
Assistant coach Corey Williams was named the interim head coach and will guide the Red Raiders through the tournament, which tips off Wednesday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Texas Tech is the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 West Virginia in the first game.
Adams was suspended from the program Sunday after the team's regular-season finale when athletic director Kirby Hocutt was made aware that he made an "inappropriate, unacceptable, and racially insensitive comment" to a player.
"Adams was encouraging the student-athlete to be more receptive to coaching and referenced Bible verses about workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters," the athletic department said in a statement.
What Mark Adams had to say about his comments
The statement said that the coach apologized, although in a comment to Stadium, Adams said that he explained his intentions behind sharing the Bible verses to a coach who told him his remarks were troubling, but "I didn’t apologize.”
NEWS: Texas Tech suspends men's basketball coach Mark Adams over 'racially insensitive' comment
“I was quoting the scripture,” Adams said. “It was a private conversation about coaching and when you have a job, and being coachable. ... I said that in the Bible that Jesus talks about how we all have bosses, and we all are servants. I was quoting the Bible about that.”
Adams, a graduate of Texas Tech, took the reins of his alma mater ahead of the 2021-2022 season and has compiled a 43-25 (.632) record with the team. The Red Raiders were the runner-up in the 2022 Big 12 tournament, losing 74-65 to eventual national champion Kansas.
Mark Adams' contract with Texas Tech
Last April after Texas Tech ended its season in the Sweet 16, the Brownfield, Texas, native received a contract extension. He's now on a five-year, $15.5 million contract that runs through the 2026-27 season. It represented a 55% increase to the original deal he signed.
With annual base salaries of $300,000 plus rights fees, Adams' total compensation is at $3 million for this season and increases by $50,000 annually — to $3.05 million in 2023-24, $3.1 million in 2024-25, $3.15 million in 2025-26 and $3.2 million in 2026-27.
The deal includes buy-outs for each side. To fire Adams without cause, Tech would owe him 60% of the remaining contract value. That could be offset should he have future earnings elsewhere.
After he replaced Chris Beard in April 2021, Adams agreed to a five-year, $10-million dollar deal, plus incentives. His annual pay under that contract was scheduled to be $1.9 million in the first year, $1.95 million in the second, $2 million in the third, $2.05 million in the fourth and $2.1 million in the fifth.
Contributing: Carlos Silva Jr., Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas Tech's Mark Adams suspended for Big 12 tournament
