Cavs Coach Calls Players 'Thugs,' Apologizes Afterwards

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein called his players a "bunch of thugs" during a film review session on Wednesday, according to a report from ESPN. The first-year NBA coach walked back his comments later, apologizing to players and insisting he meant to say "slugs."

The term "thugs" has become a racially-sensitive word in recent years. The word became the subject of rant in 2014 by then-Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman, who said the term was a covert way of using a racial slur. For Beilein, a 66-year-old white man, to use the term to describe a team of mostly young, African-American men, sparked controversy among the Cavaliers.

Players and coaches left the film review in silence and later contacted General Manager Koby Altman to tell him what happened, ESPN reported. Altman asked Beilein for clarification and the head coach then contacted all of his players individually to apologize and explain he meant to say something different.

Beilein has since clarified his comments to ESPN, suggesting he meant to say his players had been like "slugs" and were now playing faster. He said he meant his words as a compliment.

The Cavaliers are in the midst of a five-game losing streak and have already been struggling to contain the publicity of frequent outbursts of frustration from star player Kevin Love. Cleveland currently has the third-worst record in the NBA's Eastern Conference at 10-27.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was jokingly asked if he thought his team had played like "slugs" against the Milwaukee Bucks. Watch his exchange with a reporter below.