Bruce Pearl Apologizes for His Inappropriate Joke at a Charity Event

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Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl apologized for making an inappropriate joke while speaking at a charity fundraiser Thursday. The basketball coach addressed the crowd about his struggles in getting such a diverse group of young men to play together as a team, and peppered in a less-than-PC "joke," which no one found particularly funny.

Bruce Pearl apologized for his offensive remark Thursday. (Getty Images)
According to ESPN.com, he said, "I've got a tough job. I've got to put these guys from different worlds together, right?" I've got guys from Chicago, Detroit ... I'm talking about the 'hood! And I've got guys from Grainger County, where they wear the hood.''

Yikes. Dropping in KKK references during a charity fundraiser is probably not the way to go, for future reference. The coach did apologize later that day, on air at a TV station in Tennessee. He said, "I certainly did not intend to offend anyone and I apologize to everyone, especially the people of Grainger County."

He also said: "My only hope is that the visibility of this mistake will encourage those who can to give to those in need during these difficult times.''

We guess he's pulling for the "all press is good press" thing.