Cavs coach John Beilein is under fire after he says he accidentally called players 'thugs' instead of 'slugs'

Beilein said he meant to say "slugs," not "thugs," and that he has reached out to players to apologize and explain himself.
According to a report, players have accepted Beilein's explanation, but it is the latest incident in what has been a rocky start for the first-year head coach.
Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach John Beilein is in hot water after accidentally calling players "a bunch of thugs" when he meant to say "slugs," according to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski .

The incident happened during a film session on Wednesday. Beilein was trying to compliment players for improved play when he said they were no longer playing like a "bunch of thugs."

According to Wojnarowski, Cavs players "left the room initially stunned and were increasingly disturbed as they dispersed out of the meeting." The use of the term "thugs" would have obvious racial connotations.

Beilein told Wojnarowski that he was initially unaware of the mistake and has been meeting with players to tell them he meant to say "slugs."

"I didn't realize that I had said the word 'thugs,' but my staff told me later I did and so I must have said it," Beilein told Wojnarowski. "I meant to say slugs, as in slow-moving. We weren't playing hard before, and now we were playing harder. I meant it as a compliment. That's what I was trying to say. I've already talked to eight of my players tonight, and they are telling me that they understand."

According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com , the Cavs are taking the issue "seriously," with GM Koby Altman cutting a scouting trip in Atlanta short to fly to Detroit to meet the team and gather facts.

Fedor reported that the early feedback is that players have accepted Beilein's explanation and apology; some were unaware of the mistake.

Beilein is in his first year as head coach of the Cavs after leaving the University of Michigan. His tenure has been rocky so far. Some players took issue with Beilein's way of running the team, saying he runs it like a college team, Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on December 6.

A player told Charania that players "drowned out" Beilein's voice and that he had lost the team.

Kevin Love has been noticeably unhappy this season, most recently expressing his displeasure by angrily stomping through a set and whipping the ball at a teammate.

The Cavs are 10-27 and likely to make veteran players available ahead of the trade deadline, according to Wojnarowski.

NOW WATCH: 5 things about the NFL that football fans may not know