Geno Auriemma releases new statement, reflects on postgame outburst toward Dawn Staley: 'I lost myself'
Auriemma and Staley both said Tuesday that they've spoken about the confrontation and have agreed to move on.
Geno Auriemma issued another statement about his postgame blowup that dominated headlines following UConn’s Final Four defeat to South Carolina this past Friday . Three days after his first statement , Auriemma expressed more of his apologetic thoughts, this time addressing Dawn Staley by name and with a deeper level of introspection. Auriemma and Staley, who have won a combined 15 national championships as head coaches, both said Tuesday that they've spoken about the confrontation and have agreed to move on .
Hours after Staley wrote in her statement that she has “a great deal of respect” for Auriemma and that one moment “doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball,” Auriemma released a statement with similar sincerity. “This morning, Dawn Staley and I spoke about our interaction after the game last Friday,” Auriemma wrote in Tuesday’s statement. “I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team.
I’ve lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday I lost something more important. “I lost myself.
” Auriemma continued: “Those who know me know I have nothing but respect and admiration for the game and the coaches who coach it. Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me. Women’s basketball deserved better.