Posted this on the politics board too. He's in a little hot water.
Hawaii football coach uses homosexual slur in reference to Notre DameBy Dan Hinxman • dhinxman@rgj.com • July 30, 2009
SALT LAKE CITY - Second-year Hawaii football coach Greg McMackin said Notre Dame players engaged in a "little homo dance" when describing a banquet the night before the Hawaii Bowl last December.
McMackin, speaking at the Western Athletic Conference's annual football media preview on Thursday morning, said the teams gathered the night before the game for a banquet when Irish coach Charlie Weis introduced the players and a ritual they do.
"I know most of the coaches in the country are rooting for us to beat Notre Dame," McMackin said. "Charlie gives this talk, 'We do something special at Notre Dame,' and (the players) get up and they do this little cheer ... this little homo dance."
McMackin said he felt he made a mistake by then having the Hawaii players do a Ha'a, a ritual Polynesian dance that McMackin believed made the Irish players take notice and get them to play at a higher level the following day. Notre Dame won, 49-21.
After describing the dances, McMackin asked reporters not to write about it and made a reference to Karl Benson, the WAC commissioner who was in the room.
"Don't write that 'homo' down. I was misquoted," he said. "Just please … cover for me," McMackin said Thursday. "Go ahead, say ‘homo dance.’ No. Please cover for me on that, too — right Karl? I’ll deny it. Anything else?"
About 15 minutes after McMackin left the room, he returned and added, "I want to officially, officially apologize. Please don’t write that statement I said as far as Notre Dame. The reason is, I don’t care about Notre Dame. But I’m not a … I don’t want to come out and have every homosexual ticked off at me. You know what I mean. Because I don’t have any problem with homosexuals. But I apologize for saying that and I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t run that word. If you said dance, that’s OK. But don’t use the bad term that I chose, please. Thank you."
Later this morning, McMackin had scheduled a press conference for further comment.
http://rgj.com/article/20090730/SPORTS/90730014&OAS_sitepage=news.rgj.com%2Fbreakingnews
