The FBI is investigating racist e-mails and phone calls Houston’s Aubrey Coleman received after Saturday’s incident in McKale Center, when Coleman stepped on Chase Budinger’s face, received a flagrant foul and was ejected from the game, ESPN.com’s Andy Katz reported Wednesday evening.
A Houston spokesperson told ESPN.com that the FBI was on campus investigating the alleged messages directed at the Cougars basketball team. The FBI cannot confirm or deny an active investigation, according to Katz’s report.
Coleman received a great deal of negative criticism across the Internet after popular Web sites and sports blogs published video of the incident. On YouTube, one video of the foul has already received nearly 5 million views.
Many commenters posted racial slurs and derogatory terms toward Coleman on YouTube videos and blog posts.
Coleman, who has persistently said the play was unintentional, received a one-game suspension from Conference USA, which he served Wednesday night against University of Texas at El Paso.
“”There’s been a lot of racial slurs. It’s crazy. I saved the e-mails,”” Coleman told ESPN.com. “”I haven’t been contacted, but I do know the police and the FBI were at the practices to make sure everything was safe.””
Houston coach Tom Penders voiced his displeasure Wednesday on a local radio station, 1560 The Game, and claimed the ESPN SportsCenter highlight of the incident was “”doctored.””
“”They put that x-ray vision thing in, as if Aubrey was looking down, which painted a very poor picture of what actually happened,”” Penders said on the radio. “”We have replays of the game taken at different angles, where we have the entire sequence.
“”Aubrey’s eyes never do anything but look straight ahead and then up and toward the ceiling,”” Penders said. “”ESPN made it look like he was looking down. I think it was a total distortion.””
Earlier this week, UA interim head coach Russ Pennell responded to Coleman’s public apology.
“”I would just say, I’m going to take it for what it is and think it’s sincere and believe in the young man,”” Pennell said.
Budinger hasn’t been available to the media since Saturday’s post-game press conference.
“”I’ve been very depressed on how the public and the media put this out, like I did it on purpose,”” Coleman said. “”I wish it didn’t happen. I’m not that type of person.””