UCLA's Mick Cronin apologized for ejecting his own player after feeling the heat

UCLA coach Mick Cronin has admitted he went a little too far during Tuesday’s game against the Michigan State Spartans.

Cronin admitted Friday that he apologized to Steven Jamerson for ejecting the backup center over what the coach originally saw as a dirty play during Tuesday’s loss to Michigan State. Cronin sent Jamerson to the locker room with under five minutes left in the second half of a blowout loss.

Cronin said Jamerson is “everything that’s good about college basketball,” and that he felt bad for embarrassing the UCLA brand.

“You have to realize, and I have to do a better job of this, that in this climate, you’ve got to be careful with what you say,” Cronin said, via Ben Bolch of the New York Post. “I’m a good fit here because I know I’m not bigger than the brand and the brand matters here, the school matters. The last thing I want to do is bring negative publicity to our school.

“And sometimes because it’s not about me — I don’t care what people think about me — I need to do a better job knowing, well, I am the coach here and I need to make sure I don’t do anything to embarrass our school. So for that, I apologize … to our people — school, students, everybody in our community because it’s important.”

Cronin has inadvertently made himself a story lately, whether he has tried to be or not. He came under fire for his treatment of Jamerson, which included an unflattering report about his behavior.

“It’s the only reason I sent him to the locker room,” Cronin continued. “I thought he literally made a dirty play and tried to wipe the guy out.”

In addition to his handling of Jamerson, he was ridiculed for his reaction to a reporter’s question about Michigan State’s student section.

Throughout his career, Cronin has been known for his prickly demeanor and brutal honesty. However, the Bruins have hit a rough patch lately, and the criticism has ramped up as a result. The fact that he has not been able to keep his cool does not help matters.