USC men’s basketball coach Eric Musselman spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday since a former player’s lawsuit accused him of launching a racist tirade and since video surfaced of him berating a beachgoer, telling reporters at the team’s pro day that he has work to do.
“I mean, I gotta get better, you know?” Musselman said at the Galen Center practice facility, where more than a dozen NBA scouts were in attendance. “Obviously apologized about the beach incident, wanna get better and wanna improve, wanna be a lifelong learner, you know? So for us, it’s about moving forward and trying to get better in every aspect we can.”
Musselman declined to comment when asked about a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles by former Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara, which alleges the coach “lost his mind” during a locker-room tirade following a late-February game against Nebraska that Baker-Mazara left with an injury.
According to the lawsuit, when Baker-Mazara tried to address teammates by saying “Hey guys!” Musselman shouted back, “You shut the f—k up! You are one of the worst teammates anyone can ever have!” Baker-Mazara, a native of the Dominican Republic, allegedly responded, “Wow Coach, do you need me to leave, because I don’t understand this animosity,” to which the lawsuit claims Musselman replied, “Yes, leave! Go back to the f—king Dominican Republic! Nobody wants you here!! F—k you!”
Baker-Mazara was dismissed from the team the day after the game. His lawsuit accuses USC and its representatives of damaging his reputation with at least one media outlet after his departure, and seeks damages for harm to his NBA prospects along with USC’s termination of his NIL contract over an alleged “morals clause” violation. The suit includes claims of breach of contract, conversion and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
Asked whether he was concerned the lawsuit and a separate viral confrontation could hurt USC’s recruiting or his own standing, Musselman did not answer directly but pivoted to praise his program’s momentum.
“Yeah, the recruiting right now has been, you know, great,” Musselman said. “You know, we’re trying to decide with name, image and likeness where our freshmen — the ’27 class — where we land. But yeah, we feel like the recruiting’s going really well. This group has been totally focused on the upcoming season and from a chemistry standpoint, this group’s probably been as close as any group that I’ve had and probably been the funnest group that I’ve coached as well.”
The Beach Confrontation
The second controversy erupted in mid-September, when Musselman confronted a man using a metal detector who had wandered into the back of a team photo shoot at the Manhattan Beach Pier. The man told the California Post that a member of Musselman’s staff had first asked him to move and he refused, after which Musselman stepped in himself.
Video of the exchange shows Musselman telling the man to “shut the f—k up” and calling him a “f—king d—khead.” When the man pushed back, saying, “No… There’s a camera right there,” Musselman responded, “Somebody should f—king drop your ass is what should happen,” before walking away.
In a statement issued afterward, Musselman apologized, saying, “I know the responsibilities that come with my role, and while I was trying to step in and support my coach, I definitely should have handled this situation better and will learn from this for the future.”
Musselman enters his third season at USC with a roster featuring five former McDonald’s All-Americans, as the Trojans look for their first NCAA tournament appearance under his leadership.
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