Long-time West Virginia donor Jonathan Adkins upset over Bob Huggins decision, to move donations elsewhere

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins was recently under fire for using a homophobic slur while making a radio appearance. He was discussing the Cincinnati–Xavier basketball rivalry before calling Musketeer fans “Catholic ****” over some of their former actions during games.

Despite using the slur, West Virginia decided against firing Huggins. Instead, a restructured contract and a four game suspension will do. Huggins will also go through training with the university’s LGTBQ+ center.

However, there is now repercussions facing the athletic department from the outside.

Jonathan Adkins, who is a long-time West Virginia donor and a gay man, is not too happy with the school’s decision on Huggins. He used three words to describe how he felt, going with “shocked, disappointed and hurt.”

Because of that, Adkins has decided to stop sending donations from the athletic department. He will still be donating to West Virginia but will give financial gifts to other parts of the university.

“It’s painful as a longtime supporter of WVU to see this situation,” Adkins said via WVSN. “I’m directing my donations away from the Athletic Department toward other parts of the University. I’ve been in touch with WVU as a donor and a gay man. I’m disappointed in how they have handled this, but hope for the best.”

Per WV Sports Now, Adkins is now an alum of West Virginia best is from the state. Both of his parents and other family members were Mountaineers though, having a strong connection to the school. But the Huggins incident was enough to steer him away from the athletic department.

WVSN did ask if Huggins could ever get back on Adkins’ good side. He did leave some hope that the relationship could be repaired. Adkins will need to see some progress made from the Mountaineers head coach, though.

“Yes, people can change and grow,” Adkins said. “I hope he speaks out about what happened, shows true remorse and this serves as an opportunity to educate others.”

West Virginia basketball has not announced its 2023-2024 schedule in full. Huggins will be suspended from the program for the first three games but is expected to be back for the Mountaineers officially hit the road. A $1 million cut will come out of his contract as well.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to keep the support of Adkins. He claims there is some road back to a positive relationship down the road.