Coach K Reportedly Apologizes to Duke's Cameron Crazies for Jeff Capel Incident

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski offered an olive branch to Duke fans on Wednesday, according to Derek Saul of the Duke Chronicle, after shouting at the student section for chanting at Pittsburgh head coach and Duke alum Jeff Capel on Tuesday night:

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JUST IN: Coach K held a surprise private 30-minute meeting in Cameron with tenters (undergrads sleeping out for the UNC game) this afternoon to apologize for last night’s incident and give more insight into what he thought happened. Story to come.

— Derek Saul (@derek_saul) January 29, 2020"

During Duke's 79-67 win, the team's fans playfully chanted, "Jeff Capel, sit with us," per ESPN. Coach K took exception to the chant, animatedly telling the student section to "shut up" while adding that Capel "is one of us."

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After Cameron Crazies started yelling "Jeff Capel, sit with us," Coach K could be seen yelling "Shut up" and "He's one of us."

Capel played at Duke and coached there for 7 seasons. pic.twitter.com/OdKeJ62MMv

— ESPN (@espn) January 29, 2020"

After the game, he apologized for his response.   

"I don't know if I made a mistake on that, but I've never heard another coach's name yelled out in the middle of the first half when we're in a war with the team," he said. "I don't know if they were saying, 'Come sit with me.' We got a different look at what the hell was going on. I thought it was something personal. ... I apologize to the students for that."

Still, Coach K said he wasn't thrilled about the timing or content of the chant.

"You shouldn't say that. ... In the middle of the first half and an ACC game, this isn't some cutesy little thing," he said. "I'm not going to go say, 'Will you please tell me exactly what you're doing?' So it's a mistake on my part, but I'd rather make the mistake and protect my guy. ... Let's think of a different cheer—like 'Defense!'"

There were mixed responses to Coach K's reaction:

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Why I give Coach K a pass... pic.twitter.com/zG7hkODtBK

— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) January 29, 2020"

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Coach K was big mad  pic.twitter.com/16zKgq4TbP

— HIGH NOON (@HIGHNOONonESPN) January 29, 2020"

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the disapproving dad energy emanating from Coach K last night is tremendous -- these kids are all very grounded pic.twitter.com/4T2U1WRPuO

— Marc Whiteman (@MarcWYFFNews4) January 29, 2020"

"

They wanna tell Coach K “do you know who my dad is?” so bad, by gawd this is great content. https://t.co/tZXt2hfiiy

— Kazeem Famuyide  (@Kazeem) January 29, 2020"

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Honestly, I just cannot stop laughing at the fact that Coach K went full Dril tonight pic.twitter.com/OzaJmgv3B7

— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) January 29, 2020"

Capel, however, didn't seem bothered by the student section:

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Love you guys back!!! No offense taken from me! Keep SHOWING UP AND CHEERING FOR YOUR TEAM! They DESERVE IT! https://t.co/19BC707KjR

— Jeff Capel (@jeffcapel) January 29, 2020"

Pittsburgh hired Capel in 2018 as its head basketball coach. Over two seasons, he's gone 27-27 at the helm, though the Panthers are a solid 13-8 this season. Duke is 17-3 and currently ranked No. 9 in the nation. 

Tuesday night's clash between the two ACC schools is their only regular-season meeting this year.