Reporter Claims That a Uconn Employee Expressed Regret for the March Madness Incident

When UConn basketball lost to No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday, the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, was filled with the emotions of March Madness. Huskies coach Dan Hurley yelled at Baylor coaches and players in the tunnel after the defending back-to-back national champions’ defeat, hoping the officials “don’t [expletive]” them with fouls the […] The post Reporter Claims That a Uconn Employee Expressed Regret for the March Madness Incident appeared first on BlackSportsOnline.

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Mar 26, 2025 - 08:00
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Reporter Claims That a Uconn Employee Expressed Regret for the March Madness Incident

When UConn basketball lost to No. 1 seed Florida on Sunday, the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, was filled with the emotions of March Madness.

Huskies coach Dan Hurley yelled at Baylor coaches and players in the tunnel after the defending back-to-back national champions’ defeat, hoping the officials “don’t [expletive]” them with fouls the way they “[expletive]” UConn.

However, it wasn’t the only heated incident in the tunnel. Bobby Mullen, the director basketball communications at UConn, accosted Joey Ellis, a local reporter for Charlotte Sports Live, and threatened to “ruin his life” if he didn’t remove the widely shared video showing Hurley complaining about the game’s officiating.

Hurley, one of college basketball’s more emotional coaches, was seen leaving the game in a heated state following the defeat. The altercation happened in the arena’s tunnel.

Controversy around Dan Hurley

After four years as the executive director of digital and social media for the Big East Conference, Mullen was hired at UConn in 2023. He spoke about the event in a statement to Charlotte Sports Live on Sunday.

In an interview with Charlotte Sports Live, Mullen said: “The lasting image of Coach Hurley leaving the court should’ve been his walking off the court arm-in-arm with his seniors, overwhelmed with emotion,”

“Instead, a reporter, who was in an area he should not have been, recorded on his cell phone a private comment made to members of another coaching staff.”

Following the game, Mullen reportedly went to X (previously Twitter) to give what seemed to be his version of events, according to The New York Post. Mullen quickly removed that post, according to The Post and multiple other publications.

In a since-deleted post on X, Mullen wrote: “PR man yells at reporter. News at 11,” “I have a journalism degree and I know the difference between reporting and seeking out ‘gotcha’ moments. My temper flared a bit in a moment of weakness after a loss, but I think the journalists I work with regularly would vouch for me.”

Ellis went to X on Tuesday to give an update on the situation, stating that he spoke with Mullen on Tuesday, during which Mullen expressed regret and that the matter was resolved.

On Tuesday, Ellis wrote on X: “Just a quick (and hopefully final) update: Bobby Mullen and I spoke a short time ago, during which he apologized for his behavior. I accepted it … and life rolls on,” 

The Huskies’ chances of becoming the first program since UCLA to win three straight national championship crowns were dashed by their defeat to Florida on Sunday. On Thursday, March 27 at 7:39 p.m. ET, Florida will take on No. 4 Maryland in the West Region Sweet 16.

 

 

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