(Ticker) - An obscene gesture has cost Earl Howard his spot on the Alabama State men's basketball team.
A junior forward, Howard was dismissed from the team Monday after making an obscene gesture that was caught on camera with just under three minutes remaining in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game against Alabama A&M.
"We have worked very hard during my tenure as a basketball coach to build a winning, successful program," Alabama State coach Rob Spivery said. "We apologize for the acts of Earl Howard. It is not representative of what we try to convey with our program."
Howard was later inserted into the game, won by Alabama A&M, 73-52. However, at the time Spivery was not aware of the obscene gesture.
"We have built a successful program with a great deal of class and we will continue to do so," Spivery added. "I took the immediate action of dismissing this young man from our program for his immature and classless behavior."
A junior forward, Howard was dismissed from the team Monday after making an obscene gesture that was caught on camera with just under three minutes remaining in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game against Alabama A&M.
"We have worked very hard during my tenure as a basketball coach to build a winning, successful program," Alabama State coach Rob Spivery said. "We apologize for the acts of Earl Howard. It is not representative of what we try to convey with our program."
Howard was later inserted into the game, won by Alabama A&M, 73-52. However, at the time Spivery was not aware of the obscene gesture.
"We have built a successful program with a great deal of class and we will continue to do so," Spivery added. "I took the immediate action of dismissing this young man from our program for his immature and classless behavior."
