Reporter who captured Dan Hurley's officiating rant gets apology from UConn's communication director
After a video recording went viral of UConn coach Dan Hurley criticizing the officiating in a profanity-laced rant following the No. 8 Huskies' loss in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, the saga appears to have culminated Tuesday with an apology from UConn sports information director Bobby Mullen, who allegedly threatened to 'ruin' the life of the reporter who made the recording.
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'Just a quick (and hopefully final) update: Bobby Mullen and I spoke a short time ago, during which he apologized for his behavior,' Charlotte Sports Live reporter Joey Ellis wrote on X on Tuesday about the exchange. 'I accepted it … and life rolls on.'
When reached for comment, Mullen confirmed he apologized to Ellis. However, Mullen declined to comment on whether he told Ellis he would 'ruin' his life, but admitted that he 'said some things in a moment of anger.'
The controversy stemmed from a recording Ellis captured of Hurley and his team walking off the court and to the locker room following their 77-75 loss to No. 1 Florida on Sunday that bounced the defending champions from the tournament. Hurley — walking past No. 9 Baylor, which faced No. 1 Duke in the ensuing second-round game Sunday in Raleigh — can be heard in the video talking about the officials, saying: 'I hope they don't f— you like they f—ed us. I hope they don't do that to you, Baylor.'
'It was after the game, it was in the tunnel, usually that's the safest space,' Mullen told The Athletic. 'Someone thought otherwise. I didn't think based on the nature of the area that cellphone video was able to be recorded by media.
'A team reasonably expects to walk into their tunnel without being filmed.'
The NCAA did not immediately return a request for comment regarding media guidelines and access in tunnels.
'I hope they don't f$&@ you like they F'ed us, Baylor. I really hope they don't.' Danny Hurley to Baylor walking off the floor after a slug fest loss to top-seed Florida. Likely talking about officiating, if I had to guess #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/zKKsdfsjBt
— Joey Ellis (@Jellis1016) March 23, 2025
Charlotte Sports Live (CSL) reported that Mullen approached Ellis shortly after Ellis posted the video and asked for the clip to be removed. The outlet said that Mullen then threatened Ellis, saying he would 'ruin his life' if Ellis didn't remove the clip, a comment that was reportedly heard by multiple other journalists and staff in the area.
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CSL said Mullen provided a statement on the incident that read: 'The lasting image of Coach Hurley leaving the court should have been his walking off the court arm-in-arm with his seniors, overwhelmed with emotion. Instead, a reporter, who was in an area he should not have been, recorded on his cell phone a private comment made to members of another coaching staff.'
Following Sunday's loss, Hurley appeared emotional at times in his post-game comments.
'No matter what, this was going to be an excruciating ending,' Hurley said after the loss. 'Just because of the run. Obviously, the focus was rarely on that. The focus has mostly been on this passionate coach that competes real hard, and his antics. The focus has rarely been on just what we've accomplished, that only two other teams have done in the modern era of basketball.
'The 13 NCAA tournament wins in a row — it's hard to win a game in this tournament. This thing is a bear. And to have (won) 13 in a row, whenever that came to an end, was going to be crushing. But we played with honor today. And I love my team for that.'
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