ROCK HILL, S.C. _ Tom Hickman, former Winthrop athletic director, said the university suspended Gregg Marshall at least once for the basketball coach's behavior while both were at the school. The once-AD, however, also denied that Marshall was abusive or racist.
Marshall, now the head coach at Wichita State, is under investigation for allegedly physically and verbally abusing his players there. The Athletic on Tuesday reported that Marshall also allegedly abused players and made at least one racist comment during his tenure at Winthrop, where he coached from 1998 until 2007.
In phone conversations with The Herald on Tuesday and Wednesday, Hickman could not recall the specifics of Marshall's suspension or whether it included missing games or other basketball activities.
"There was at least one occasion where there was a suspension of some type," Hickman told The Herald on Tuesday. "I feel very comfortable with the way we handled things here. Now, not all of the players liked the atmosphere that he had. He was tough. He was hard. He conditioned them hard, and that was particularly true early on, when he first came in.
