UConn's Dan Hurley Says He Went 'Off the Rails' in 'Media-Free' Area amid Viral Video

UConn men's basketball coach Dan Hurley expressed some regret for his comments about the officiating in the Huskies' season-ending loss to Florida in the 2025 NCAA tournament.

"If I don't go off the rails at the end there after that three-year run ended in excruciating fashion in a game that we almost had to keep this thing going, if I don't have that emotional outburst there, probably all people are talking about is the run we've had, the amazing players," he told reporters Wednesday.

Hurley is known to get animated on the sidelines and react negatively toward officiating decisions in the moment.

Following the Huskies' second-round exit, he saved his harshest words about the refs for when he was walking through the tunnel. Joey Ellis of Queen City News shared a video of Hurley telling Baylor, which was scheduled to play next, that "I hope they don't f--k you like they f--ked us."

Looking back Wednesday, Hurley said the Gators "earned" their 77-75 win and that the officiating crew had "three great refs."

Between the reputation he's building and UConn's status as the two-time reigning national champion, the coach's postgame remarks were always going to pick up some traction. The school's response probably turned this into a bigger story.

Charlotte Sports Live reported that Bobby Mullen, the director of communications for the Huskies men's team, reached out to Ellis about taking down the video. Mullen then threatened to "ruin" the reporter's life if the video wasn't removed.

Ellis said Tuesday that Mullen apologized personally and that he considered the matter to be closed.

During Wednesday's press availability, Hurley lamented having indirectly put Mullen in this position.

"Obviously it's all my fault that Bobby got pulled into it," he said. "I set the whole thing in motion and I feel horrible. Obviously he could've handled dealing with the media person with the phone that took the video [differently], he could've obviously let it go. He should've been better trained for a situation like this, we've been in them all year.

"But Bobby's a soldier. We all fight like that for each other in our program, and sometimes we go a little too far. But Bobby's a great guy."

In general, Hurley said he doesn't intend to change his personality because it has helped him reach this point in his profession.

"At times, I've got to apologize to my wife and say I'm sorry, I was embarrassing. I shouldn't have said that," he told reporters. "Trust me, I've had these moments throughout my career. This is what UConn knew they were getting. This is how I've coached obviously my career."