North Carolina Central head football coach Trei Oliver retracted his incendiary statements after his former quarterback Davius Richard suffered an ankle injury in the HBCU Legacy Bowl. Trei Oliver lashed out at Team Gaither coaches Larry Scott and Allen Parker after they presumably called the play that resulted in Richard's injury.

“I would like to apologize for the language used in a previous tweet,” Oliver said on his ‘X' page. “That is not the example that I would like to set for my players, regardless of how strongly I felt and still feel about the situation. I support the Legacy Bowl and the opportunities it creates; however, Coaches have to do what they can to protect the players. Doug and Shaq told the coaches early in the week not to run him. On Friday, I sat with the offensive staff and asked them not to run him as well. For whatever reason, the play was called. This is a minor setback for Davius, however, he is a warrior and will bounce back.”

The two-time MEAC Player of the Year kept the ball on a read option play and scored a rushing touchdown. However, after the score, Richard stayed on the ground and had to be carted off the field. He apparently suffered from a dislocated ankle, an injury that can take up to six months to recover from.

Richard led North Carolina Central during some of their most prosperous seasons in school history. He helped secure a Celebration Bowl and MEAC Championship in 2022. In 2023, the Eagles nearly repeated as MEAC Champions, though they fell short to Larry Scott's Howard Bison. Many expected Richard to land with an NFL team this offseason, though his injury puts some of that into doubt.