Athletics Director Ray Tanner announced Thursday that he suspended South Carolina men’s basketball coach Frank Martin for one game because of his actions during Tuesday’s game against Florida.
“The one-game suspension is a result of inappropriate verbal communication as it relates to the well-being of our student-athletes,” Tanner said in a statement.
The suspension comes after Martin laid into freshman Duane Notice on national television during the Gamecocks’ 72-46 loss to No. 1 Florida.
Martin will not travel with the team when they take on Mississippi State in its regular-season finale Saturday.
Instead, associate head coach Matt Figger will lead South Carolina against the Bulldogs in Starkville, Miss.
Earlier this season, Martin apologized to senior guard Brenton Williams for a tirade directed at him in the first half of South Carolina’s loss to Ole Miss on Jan. 18. He also apologized to fans around the bench who heard him.
Martin did not appear on his weekly Carolina Calls segment Thursday, and assistant coach Perry Clark fielded questions instead. The show did not take questions about the suspension.
Athletics spokesman Steve Fink would not say if Martin had spoken to Notice since the incident or if his pay would be affected, saying he had nothing to add to the press release.