Georgetown head basketball coach Ed Cooley suspended after throwing water bottle that hit child
By Jacob Lev, CNN
(CNN) — Georgetown men’s head basketball coach Ed Cooley has been suspended one game after throwing a water bottle that hit a child following the Hoyas’ 80-77 loss to Xavier on Saturday.
With less than five seconds to play and down three points, Georgetown had an opportunity to send the game to overtime but missed a three-pointer at the buzzer at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.
The 56-year-old Cooley chucked what appeared to be a plastic water bottle into the stands and video showed the bottle apparently hitting a mother and child sitting a few rows behind the Hoyas bench.
Cooley apologized to the family of the child that was hit with the water bottle.
“Really frustrated and realized I threw my water bottle, and it hit (him) and his mom,” Cooley said at a news conference after the game.
“Definitely out of character to be so frustrated, but really that’s not called for. I’ll call them and make amends to that. Just totally out of character, frustration. So I apologize to the fans, I apologize to our players, the university. Totally, totally out of character for me to be that way.”
Georgetown athletics director Lee Reed said in a statement Sunday that he met with Cooley and “expressed that his conduct did not align with the standards we expect of our coaches, nor does it reflect the values of Georgetown Athletics or Georgetown University.”
Cooley also released a statement via the school, reiterating his apology and adding he “will learn from this experience to ensure it never happens again.”
The Hoyas fell to 8-4 on the season and are next scheduled to play on Monday at home against Coppin State. Associate head coach Jeff Battle will coach the team.
“The safety and security of spectators and participants at BIG EAST (conference) events is of paramount importance and fundamental to the enjoyment of our games,” the conference said Sunday.
It is not the first time Cooley had an incident involving a fan.
Last season, after Georgetown lost to the Xavier Musketeers, Cooley engaged in a heated argument with an Xavier fan who allegedly accosted one of his players after the final buzzer.
After Hoyas staff stepped in to calm things down, Cooley said afterward that he would “always protect my players if they are threatened.”
Cooley is currently in his third season at the helm at Georgetown after spending the previous 12 seasons at Providence.
The-CNN-Wire
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