Creighton basketball coach Greg McDermott has been suspended for urging players to “stay on the plantation.”

Creighton University suspended basketball coach Greg McDermott indefinitely on Thursday night for using racially insensitive language while addressing the team after a game last weekend.

McDermott publicly apologized on Tuesday and again on Wednesday for urging his players to “stay on the plantation” after the 77-69 loss of Bluejays, ranked 14th, to Xavier.

McDermott suffered the 72-60 loss of Bluejays to Villanova no. Assistant coach Alan Huss will serve as interim head coach for Saturday’s home game against Butler.

“I made a mistake and I own it,” McDermott said in a post on Twitter after the suspension was announced. “Mistakes come with consequences and I accept and agree with the suspension.”

Sports Director Bruce Rasmussen said he and the university’s president, Rev. Daniel Hendrickson met with senior administrators on Thursday to determine disciplinary action against McDermott.

“Coach McDermott and the team have agreed that he will be suspended immediately for all team activities, including the end of Saturday’s season at home against Butler.”

The university’s statement announcing the suspension did not specify how long McDermott would be suspended. Creighton Sports spokesman Rob Anderson told the Associated Press that no end date has been set.

Rasmussen said additional sanctions are being considered, none of which will be made public.

“Coach McDermott and our athletics program need to use this incident as an opportunity for growth and learning, because it’s clear that more work needs to be done.”

McDermott, in an apology he posted on Twitter on Tuesday, admitted, saying, “Guys, we have to stay together. We need both legs. I need everyone to stay on the plantation. I can’t have anyone leave the plantation. ”

McDermott, who is white, said he immediately acknowledged that he had made a “flagrant mistake” and addressed with his team the use of a term that evoked slavery and the pre-war south.

In a statement, the university called McDermott’s language “deplorable” and said it was incompatible with the values ​​and commitment of the Jesuit private school to create a welcoming environment.