Gregg Marshall Sounds Nice

Gregg Marshall has been accused by numerous sources of routinely physically and verbally abusing members of his Wichita State basketball program, including demeaning players with ethnic and racial slurs. Stadium's Jeff Goodman penned a piece detailing the site's six-month investigation into the program that paints Marshall as an unstable bully. Given the allegations in the piece, I'd be shocked if the 57-year-old coach kept his job.

A litany of charges were uncovered through interviews with 36 players and coaches. The most salacious allegation is that Marshall punched former Shockers forward Shaq Morris twice during a 2015 practice. Morris and six of his teammates confirmed the story.

Marshall also allegedly choked assistant coach Kyle Lindsted during the 2016-17 season. Three eyewitnesses confirmed the story, while Lindsted declined to comment. He's currently an assistant at Minnesota. Marshall reportedly flipped out on Lindsted mid-practice when a player wasn't practicing when he was supposed to.

Here's how the incident is described in the piece:

"Two players independently told Stadium, Marshall put his hands around Lindsted’s throat and began trying to choke him because he was frustrated with the assistant coach. Morris also said he witnessed the incident."

Marshall also allegely taunted forward Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler at practice during the 2018-19 season. Bear-Chandler is of Native American descent and Marshall made "Indian howling noises" during practice and told the player "to get back on his horse."

Here is what Goodman concluded:

"The incidents involving Morris and Lindsted were part of numerous allegations of physical and verbal abuse by Marshall against members of Wichita State’s program, more than 30 former and current members of the basketball program told Stadium."

One former player said, "He doesn't know how the treat people. I felt like I wasn't playing for him, but that I was playing against him. He f***ed me up mentally."

It basically sounds like Marshall read stories about Bobby Knight and took the exact wrong lessons from them.

There is so much more to the story, including numerous allegations of bullying, taunting, physical and mental abuse. It's horrifying that Marshall got away with this for so long. He's been at Wichita State since 2007 and is the school's all-time winningest coach. He took home $3.5 million in base salary last season.

Here is where I tell you that many people who've been around college basketball over the last decade years have heard whispers that Marshall had issues. Whenever I asked around as to why one of the nation's most consistent coaches couldn't move up from a mid-major, I was told he would never get past the due diligence done by a big-time program.

When Wichita State was made aware of Stadium's reporting, the school began its own investigation into Marshall's conduct. I doubt he'll be around much longer.