Kansas Guard Zeke Mayo Receives Racially-Charged Threats After Texas Tech Game, Bill Self Responds

Kansas Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo was racially harassed following a game against No. 10 Texas Tech on Saturday.

Mayo and the Jayhawks played host to the Red Raiders at Allen Fieldhouse, and ended up losing to the visitors 78-73. On top of the loss, Mayo had a particularly poor showing, going 1-7 from the field and 0-5 from beyond the arc. He finished the game with five points, three rebounds, and an assist.

After transferring from South Dakota State at the beginning of the season, many expected Mayo to be a major factor in the Jayhawks’ success. Thus far, he's had an okay season, averaging 14.0 ppg. Fine, but not what many thought he was capable of before the year. That frustration - paired with the bad game against Texas Tech - caused some fans to go way over the top in their criticism of Mayo.

To his credit, Mayo took the blame for his performance in a now-deleted X post for his poor play. But in the post, he took screenshots of fans calling him a "trash can n-----," with several others telling him to commit suicide.

"I 100% deserve all the criticism in the world. My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now. I work my a-- off everyday to be great, but I can’t be perfect all the time. I’m sorry to our fans and my teammates, I will continue to get better," the post read. Mayo has since deactivated his account.

This uncalled-for level of hatred prompted head coach Bill Self to issue a lengthy statement in defense of Mayo.

Feb 3, 2025; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Zeke Mayo (5) reacts during the first half against the Iowa State Cyclones at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

"The game today was a very good college basketball game. We played a very good team and we got beat," Self wrote. "We had some individuals have exceptional individual games, and we had some maybe not play up to the standard they've set for themselves. But, everyone on our team, coaches included, myself, more than anyone, had opportunities to impact the game."

He added, "I'll roll with these guys every day and be proud of it. Any criticism about the team should be directed at me. I'm the head coach."

There’s being a sports fan, and then there’s this type of degeneracy. Anyone who sent Mayo one of these messages should be ashamed of themselves.