Illinois State head coach Ryan Pedon has apologized for his actions during Saturday evening's altercation during the team's game against Norfolk State following Jamarii Thomas being called a racial slur by one or two fans in attendance. The statement was posted to the men's basketball social media accounts.

The statement from Pedon read:

“I reached out this morning to Coach Robert Jones to offer my apology for my reaction during our game last night. I take full responsibility for my actions. I was wrong for allowing the situation to escalate. I expressed to Coach Jones after the game- I absolutely did not hear what he was saying to me. Had I heard Coach Jones, my response would have been completely different. This was a misunderstanding in which I reacted to him without understanding the situation, and I own that mistake 100%. I would also like to apologize for any negative reflection my response may have brought to either institution, its student-athletes or basketball programs.“

During the game, Pedon aggressively approached Spartan head coach Robert Jones at the scorer's table after Jones expressed his displeasure to the referees about the slurs directed at Thomas. The moment led to players for both teams leaving their respective benches and convening behind their respective coaches before the referees and assistant coaches for both teams de-escalated the situation.

Norfolk State president Dr. Javaune Adams-Gaston and Director of Athletics Melody Webb released a statement and said that Illinois State officials reached out to them to offer their apologies and inform them that an investigation was launched into the incident.

“We have heard from the president and athletic director of Illinois State University. They have stated the behavior shown to our student-athletes at the Horton Field House is not representative of their institution and they will fully investigate this incident. We acknowledge their apology and look forward to hearing the results of their investigation,” a portion of the statement from Adams-Gaston and Webb read.

Norfolk State will play a road game against Stony Brook on Wednesday at 6:30 PM EST. The game will be broadcast on FloHoops.