The backlash surrounding Geno Auriemma's controversial actions against South Carolina HC Dawn Staley has not stopped yet, with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie being the latest to bash the 72-year-old.

Appearing on a CBS Sports pregame show, "We Need To Talk", Leslie said, "Since today is Resurrection Day, I'm gonna let Geno live," before sharing critical comments about his recent behavior.

"What Geno did was disruptive, and it was unnecessary. His ego, his lies, got the best of him in that competition," she said.

For the ones unaware, Geno Auriemma had a heated exchange of words with South Carolina HC Dawn Staley following his side, UConn's loss in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

Auriemma stated that the altercation was about the pregame handshake ritual that Staley did not take part in. But the 55-year-old was just as confused as anyone regarding Auriemma's exact intentions.

Besides criticizing his behavior, Leslie also said, "You know what he did? He took the attention off the players. Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd: not their best outings. But he also took the attention off Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women's basketball team and how great they played."

The former Gamecocks member also posted on X about Auriemma's wrongdoings alongside several other renowned reporters and analysts, such as Stephen A. Smith.

This led Auriemma to issue an apology statement, but the fraternity was still not happy as he excluded the name of Dawn Staley, with whom he started the whole discourse.

While the UConn head coach has disappointed everyone with his actions, let's take a look at what fans have to say about Leslie's comments regarding this topic.

Fans Have Mixed Emotions Regarding Lisa Leslie's Comments

At this point, fans on social media were bored, and the majority had moved on from this topic and were waiting for the national championship game until Leslie brought it up again. While some backed Leslie, others believe she was going overboard with this discussion.

"Disruptive is a nice way to put it. Rude, Shameful, Arrogant, Egotistical, Selfish, Immature are other ways to put it," one fan completely sided with Leslie and believed Auriemma should be called out further. "Whack him again!" Another comment followed.

"And y'all helping him. Broadcasting it everytime yall got a mic in your hand. Why are y'all even talking bout this when there’s a game today?" One user believes that this topic should not be further discussed, especially during the national championship game.

"Geno did nothing wrong with what he said. He might have chosen a better time to say it, but that's about all." One fan was fine with Auriemma's statements.

"Who’s she? Oh, right…irrelevant for 10 years and looking for time." Another penned that Leslie is trying to get back into the spotlight by continuing with this topic. "Give it a rest, Lisa." Another comment followed

"Why don’t u talk about thug life, Dawn, threatening to fight another coach. She should be fired." One user indirectly interpreted that Leslie was only shedding a bad light on Auriemma because of her personal history with South Carolina.

So, do you believe that Geno Auriemma's comments should be further dissected, or have we finally reached a stalemate?

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Written by

Joy Bassy

Edited by

Souvik Roy