Missouri AD rips USC’s Staley for promoting ‘unhealthy,’ nasty environment

Sunday, South Carolina and Missouri went at it on the court – even to the point where the two teams found themselves in a big scuffle just moments before halftime.

While the Gamecocks went on to win the game, the hostility between the two teams has not slowed dispersed.

In a radio show today, known as the KTGRBigShow, based out of Columbus, Missouri, Missouri’s athletic director Jim Sterk was a special guest. Sterk expressed his thoughts on the situation Sunday as he went on to blame South Carolina’s head coach Dawn Staley for the environment created and accused the fans of rude behavior.

“Yeah it wasn’t a great atmosphere. It was really kind of unhealthy, if you will. We had, you know, players spit on, and called the “n-word,” and things like that. I mean it was not a good environment, and unfortunately I think, you know, Coach Staley promoted that kind of atmosphere, and it’s unfortunate she felt she had to do that,” Sterk said via the radio show.

Sterk was not the only one to state Mizzou player’s were spit on as head coach Robin Pingeton also stated her players had been spit on after the game by Gamecock fans.

“I was really disappointed with some things that transpired,” Pington said in a report by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “There’s no place in our game for that. Fans got to be better all around. Our side, their side, everybody’s side. Fans got to be better. These are daughters playing a game they love to play.

There were certainly some things that were really unfortunate that transpired, not only verbally and some other things (spitting) you alluded to. It’s really unfortunate. But you’ve got two fan bases that are passionate and just got to clean it up a little bit.”