Listen here: The Audio that Got Bill Johnson Suspended

So, what did Bill Johnson say that got him suspended this February?

After longtime UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball announcer quit in a major Instagram vent that harshly criticized campus higher-ups, they responded with a statement that said he’d been suspended in February for making “racially insensitive remarks.”

Media Milwaukee wondered: What exactly did Johnson say? So, the news site asked UWM officials for the actual audio so you can judge for yourself. UWM PR provided Media Milwaukee with two soundbites.

In the first soundbite, Johnson refers to Youngstown State player Francisco Santiago as a “fiery character” and then says, “Tell you what, he’s gonna get some questions in airport security with that beard.”

In the second soundbite, he refers to the opposing team’s coach, Jerry Slocum, and says, “Jerry said something, oh boy….I wouldn’t mess with that guy. He looks like he works for the Sopranos.” Slocum is the head basketball coach of Youngstown State.

Two hours after the game, Johnson said he learned that he was suspended without a hearing or due process. He tells Media Milwaukee he was thinking of his own troubles getting through security with facial hair and added, “I was never asked if I had a racially motivated comment. The athletic director, without any type of hearing or even asking my side of the story, assumed it was a racially motivated comment and suspended me.”

For his part, Johnson told Media Milwaukee he didn’t only quit because of the suspension.

In the Instagram blast, Johnson said, among other things, “Never have so many competent, talented people been run off by such a talentless group of entitled beaurocrats (sic). No matter how much the coaches, players, and support staff care, they can’t overcome incompetent administrators.” The blast comes on the heels of controversy, including Athletic Director Amanda Braun’s firing of coach Rob Jeter, the team’s not being allowed to compete in post-season play, and four players seeking release to go elsewhere.

After the Instagram blast, UWM released a statement saying in part, “We believe his comments are unwarranted and unfair and are likely motivated by his own suspension from his position in February for making racially insensitive remarks during the broadcast of a Panther game. Johnson was allowed to return to his duties after apologizing to a player and the coach of an opposing team.”

The released audio comes as news reports revealed that player Austin Arians has now committed to Wake Forest for his final year of college basketball. This comes after the news that player Akeem Springs recently committed to the Minnesota Gophers last Friday. William Behrns, UWM’s senior associate athletics director, said Sunday night that he had not been able to confirm the Arians’ account yet.

Stay turned to Media Milwaukee for more developments on the men’s basketball team.