Florida International’s basketball team publicly protested the recent firing of head coach Isiah Thomas and his coaching staff by staging a walkout during the school’s athletic banquet on Monday. As a speaker began discussing the team’s “memorable moments” -- a generous adjective, given the Golden Panthers’ 8-21 record -- the players provided the most memorable moment of all, leaving their seats and conspicuously walking out of the room. Watch video of their departure below the jump.
VIDEO: FIU Basketball Players Protest Isiah Thomas’ Firing With Walkout
Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports' The Dagger spoke to freshman guard Tanner Wozniak about the walkout:
“We didn’t want to disrespect the program at all or anything,” Wozniak said by phone. “We just wanted to show our support for Isiah Thomas. He was a great coach, a mentor and a father figure to us. He didn’t have a winning record, but you can’t build a program in three years.”
Under Thomas, FIU posted a 26-65 record over the past three seasons.
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