LEAVING THE COURT

Penn State Basketball Coach Pat Chambers Resigns After Internal Investigation Into Noose Comment

The investigation came after a player said Chambers made a casual reference to him about a “noose.”

Penn State’s men’s basketball coach resigned Wednesday following a university investigation into allegations he made a casual reference to a noose around a Black player’s neck. Penn State Nittany Lions player Rasir Bolton, who is Black, told The Undefeated in July that coach Pat Chambers told him, “‘I want to be a stress reliever for you. You can talk to me about anything. I need to get some of this pressure off you. I want to loosen the noose that's around your neck.’” Bolton transferred to Iowa State in 2019 following the remark and said Chambers never apologized: “He said he was from the north and wasn't aware.” Penn State’s Affirmative Action and Athletics Integrity offices investigated the claims and found a new allegation that the university declined to make public. Chambers told ESPN of his resignation, “We are in need of a break to re-set and chart our path forward.”