Ex-Creighton recruit confirms he decommitted because of Greg McDermott's 'plantation' comment
Ty Ty Washington, formerly the top recruit in Creighton's Class of 2021, decommitted from the program days after head coach Greg McDermott was suspended for his "plantation" comments.
Washington confirmed on Wednesday that the two events were related.
Speaking with The Athletic's Kyle Tucker about his current recruitment by Kentucky, Washington clarified that he decommitted from the Bluejays because of the McDermott controversy:
“It was definitely the controversy,” he said. “I really wanted to attend Creighton. It felt like the situation and the plan Coach McDermott had for me was really good. So it was kind of heartbreaking once I found out what he said. I just felt like the day and age we’re living in — a police officer just killed another young Black man for no reason — him saying something like that, it’s just not right.”
Washington is currently ranked by Rivals as the No. 32 recruit in the country. The Phoenix native has a bevy of scholarship offers from major programs, including Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA, Illinois and Arizona.
Creighton's Class of 2021 currently consists of four-stars Mason Miller and Ryan Nembhard and three-star John Christofilis.
Washington announced his decommittment on March 11, which was 11 days after McDermott said, "I need everybody to stay on the plantation. I can’t have anybody leave the plantation" following a loss to Xavier. The recruit did not mention McDermott's comment and subsequent suspension in his statement.
— Tyty Washington (@tytywashington3) March 11, 2021
McDermott missed one game due to suspension before being reinstated for the Big East tournament. He apologized profusely after the comment, calling it a “a terribly inappropriate analogy” and saying he had "difficult conversations" with several players, parents and staff.
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