Penn State basketball coach Pat Chambers has resigned after being the subject of controversy stemming from comments made to Rasir Bolton.
Pat Chambers has resigned as the Penn State basketball head coach, as first reported by Stadium’s Jeff Goodman.
Chambers had been embroiled in controversy after Rasir Bolton revealed the reason behind him leaving the program was due to his former head coach saying he wanted to “loosen the noose around his neck.”
His resignation comes after an internal investigation. Penn State announced assistant coach Jim Ferry, 53, will be the interim head coach for the season. He was previously the head coach at Duquesne where he went 60-97 in five seasons, the last in 2016-2017 when they went 10-22. He joined the Penn State bench the next year.
Pat Chambers is out at Penn State as controversy swirls
Bolton apologized and cited his ignorance for his poor choice of words.
In his apology, Chambers said he “realized the pain my words and ignorance caused Rasir Bolton and his family.”
“I failed to comprehend the experiences of others, and the reference I made was hurtful, insensitive and unacceptable,” he wrote in the statement, which he posted on Twitter. “I cannot apologize enough for what I said, and I will carry that forever.”
Chambers released a statement after his resignation where he touted all he and his teams have accomplished as he takes the time off to reset.
Pat Chambers has issued a statement on his departure from Penn State. pic.twitter.com/3zKWwYRwKh
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 21, 2020
Chambers was 148-150 in nine seasons as the Penn State basketball head coach and made zero NCAA Tournament appearances. Penn State was 21-10 and likely would have made the 2020 NCAA Tournament that was eventually canceled due to the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
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