Texas A&M coach Elko says he regrets 'cesspool' comments - ESPN

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko expressed regret Monday for his comments after losing to Missouri in which he referred to website TexAgs and a portion of the fanbase as a «cesspool.»

After the Aggies dropped to 3-3 on Saturday with a 27-6 defeat at No. 14 Missouri, Elko was asked what his message would be to Texas A&M fans who might be worried. He said there is a difference between the fanbase and social media, with a nod to Billy Liucci, the executive editor and co-owner of TexAgs.

«There's one group that I really don't care much about. Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool,» Elko said. «Our fanbase: Stay with us, be behind us, we're going to build something that we told you we were going to build. We're in a really bad spot right now, but we'll work our way out of it.»

On Monday, with Luicci in attendance at his weekly news conference, Elko said the viral comment was made in the heat of the moment and came across in a «way that I certainly regret.»

«I think everybody knows I have a tremendous relationship with Billy,» Elko said. «I appreciate Billy. I appreciate him being here today. There's nothing about him and I that have ever been off since 2018. I think everybody knows I appreciate our fanbase and everything that they're about and everything that they mean to Texas A&M. Outside of that, I'll leave it alone.

»I regret the way it was taken. I regret the way it came out. I regret the way it ran. That certainly was never my intention, and certainly throughout the course of that interview, at no point ever did I lend any blame to anything other than myself. I am the reason why this team is struggling. I have owned that since this has started. I continue to own that. It's my job to figure out how to get it better."

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