For reportedly spitting on a player during a game earlier in the season, the head coach is also under investigation.

Mark Adams, the men’s basketball coach at Texas Tech University, has been suspended due to what the school regards as a “racially insensitive and inappropriate comment.”

School officials claim that during a coaching session with a student athlete last week, Adams cited Bible texts regarding laborers, educators, parents, and slaves serving their masters.

After sending Adams a formal letter of censure, director of athletics Kirby Hocutt decided to suspend him in order “to undertake a more complete review into Adams’ contacts with his players and staff.” School authorities say that Adams discussed the remark with the team.

In an interview with Stadium, a sports news network, Adams justified his encounter with the student-athlete, claiming that it was not racist and that he was quoting a Bible text.

Adams addressed Stadium, “I explained that in the Bible, Jesus talks about how we all have bosses, and we all have servants.”

Additionally, the Tech Tech basketball coach is under investigation for allegedly spitting on a player during a season opener.

He inked a five-year, $15.5 million contract that extends through the 2026–2027 season in response to his achievements from the previous season. According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Texas Tech would repay Adams 60% of the remaining contract if he were fired without cause.

Adams’ suspension occurs at a time when Texas colleges are examining their inclusion, equity, and diversity policies in reaction to Governor Greg Abbott’s warning. Abbott claimed that considering diversity in hiring would be against federal and state employment regulations and that hiring should only be done on the basis of merit in a memo to executives of public universities. In particular, Texas Tech is reevaluating its usage of DEI evaluation rubrics in light of criticism from a conservative advocacy group for education.