KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Less than 24 hours after Kansas State men’s basketball coach Jerome Tang was fired, ESPN reports Tang has hired lawyers to represent him in negotiations with the school.
Athletic Director Gene Taylor announced Tang’s firing in a news conference Sunday night in Manhattan, Kansas.
“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Taylor said. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university.”
“We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward,” Taylor continued.
The firing came after another painful loss — 91 to 62 to Cincinnati — last week in a season Wildcat fans will soon want to forget. The Wildcats also lost 78-64 Saturday at No. 3 Houston, leaving the team 10-15 on the season and a 1-11 mark in the Big 12.
“I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” Tang said in a statement to ESPN. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as a head coach."
On Monday, ESPN college athletics reporter Pete Thamel reported Tang had retained Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer over the status of his contract with the school.
Update: Jerome Tang has retained Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer in the case of his firing for cause. Mars told ESPN: “If K-State’s President and AD really think the school was embarrassed by recent events, that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to… https://t.co/deGmkldkAh
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 16, 2026
“If K-State’s President and AD really think the school was embarrassed by recent events, that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to experience,” Mars told ESPN.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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