By Anthony Caruso III
Southern California has suspended men's basketball coach Kevin O'Neill for the rest of the Pac-10 Tournament, following his reported verbal altercation with an Arizona booster Thursday night.
Southern California athletic director Pat Haden announced the suspension in a statement Friday, saying he talked to O'Neill and "expressed my disappointment in his involvement in an incident last night in which he and his wife engaged in an argument with a supporter of another school." Haden said the school imposed additional, but unspecified, discipline. Assistant coach Bob Cantu will take O'Neill's place when the Trojans play Arizona in the semifinals on Friday.
According to the Los Angeles Times, O'Neill and the booster argued in the lobby of a Los Angeles hotel on Thursday night. The paper reported that O'Neill's wife argued with a security guard before the two were asked to leave.
"I want to apologize to my team, our university and our fans for my involvement last night in an incident with a fan," O'Neill said in a statement. "I understand my behavior as the leader of our team was unacceptable. I used poor judgment and put myself, my team and USC in a bad light. I regret that I have let them down."
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