Tom Crean exposes more locker room drama amid Zoom mistake

Georgia basketball coach Tom Crean thought his press conference was over, but his Zoom feed was still live. So when he offered his unfiltered criticism of Bulldogs graduate manager Rashaan Surles and guard Aaron Cook, it was broadcast to several media members.

Speaking to an unidentified woman, Crean first accused Surles of leaking information that resulted in the suspension of Georgia assistant Wade Mason. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution first reported that an altercation took place between Mason and director of player personnel Brian Fish at halftime of the 84-65 loss to LSU on Wednesday.

“There’s no question we’re concerned in there that our GA really — Rashaan [Surles] exposed it,” Crean said according to 247 Sports. “He’d have to have it organized, man. Somebody’s organized the whole thing. Somebody has. There ain’t no way that guy got some of the player’s numbers. Well, we’ve just got to keep figuring out what we’re going to do next.”

The conversation later turned to Cook, a sixth-year player in his first season in Athens. He scored just six points in 23 minutes during a 85-68 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday, causing Crean to call his effort into question.

“Aaron is just a — Aaron’s not close to as good as he thinks he is, and every time there’s a problem he wears down,” Crean said. “Like I said — I said, ‘If you played with as much edge as you’re talking to me right now, you wouldn’t be having any issues at all.’ But I said, ’But you’re not going to talk like that, OK? You can play like that, but you’re not going to talk like that.’”

Shortly after Tom Crean’s comments about Cook, the Zoom feed ended.

Saturday’s loss marked the seventh straight for Georgia, which fell to 6-21 overall. The Bulldogs’ lone SEC win this season came against Alabama, and their 1-13 league record puts them in last place in the conference.

Crean is in his fourth season in Athens after previous stops at Marquette and Indiana. He has yet to lead the Bulldogs to a winning season, compiling a 47-69 overall record during that span. The coach was already on the hot seat for his lack of on-court success, and his recent comments certainly don’t help.

Georgia released a statement early Saturday disputing reports that it was attempting to fire Crean for cause because he failed to report the Wade incident to the athletics department’s human resources office.

“There have been various media reports related to UGA Athletics personnel ranging from completely inaccurate to incomplete and premature,” the school said. “The incident in question was reported properly as required by university policies and is under review. We will comment if and when appropriate.”

The Bulldogs will attempt to salvage what is left of their season when they face Texas A&M at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.