Penny Hardaway GOES OFF on the Media After Memphis Loss: ‘Stop Asking Me Stupid F*cking Questions’
As losses mount for the Memphis Tigers basketball team, head coach Penny Hardaway is blaming the media.
The former NBA star carried big expectations when he took over as head coach of the Tigers in 2018. Hardaway delivered by bringing in the top recruiting classes in 2019 and 2021. But he’s failed to deliver in results on the court.
Thursday night, the Tigers suffered their eighth loss in 12 games, losing to SMU 70-62 in Memphis. After the game, Hardaway was asked if he still believes he can get the job done and the 50-year-old coach went on a shocking f-bomb filled tirade.
“This media gets kinda f*cked up sometimes when it comes to me,” Hardaway said. “We don’t have our full roster, Y’all know we don’t have our full roster. Stop asking me stupid f*cking questions about if I feel like I can do something. If I had my roster like they did, then I feel like I can do whatever I want to do. I’m coaching really hard. My boys are playing really hard. I’m not embarrassed about nothing!
“Stop disrespecting me, bro. Don’t do that,” Hardaway continued to berate the reporter. “I work too f*cking hard. I work way too hard for that. Y’all write all these f*cking articles about me and all I do is work.”
The loss to SMU saw Memphis drop to 9-8 overall and 3-4 in the American Athletic Conference, despite entering the college basketball season ranked No. 12 in the AP poll. Although he preaches being proud of his team, the disappointing record seems to be getting to Hardaway. And taking on the media isn’t going to make his job any easier.
Hardaway undoubtedly rejuvenated Memphis when he surprised many by taking their men’s basketball head coaching job. Winning at least 20 games in his three full seasons with Memphis, along with an NIT Championship should not be deemed a failure. But consistently landing top recruits while missing out on the NCAA Tournament is definitely a disappointment.
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