Texas A&M's Mike Elko Regrets Way Fan 'Cesspool' Comments Were 'Taken'

During his news conference on Monday, Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko didn't appear to fully back down from his explosive comments about a vocal portion of the Aggies fan base.

Following A&M's 27-6 loss to Mizzou on Saturday, Elko was asked by a reporter what he'd say to fans who were losing faith in the program after a third loss in four games (all three losses were by double digits). Elko told reporters that he thought there was a difference between the Aggies fan base and people on social media.

However, the third-year coach went a little too far, calling out Billy Liucci's TexAgs, saying, "Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool."

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Those comments didn't go over well with the majority of the Texas A&M fan base.

On Monday, Elko stopped short of apologizing for his comments, appearing to be more concerned with how his statement was "taken" and "the way it ran."

"I regret the way it was taken," Elko said, via video from TexAgs. "I regret the way it came out. I regret the way it ran. And so that certainly was never my intention."

Elko could have apologized for his remarks and made the point that he doesn't care for the comments keyboard warriors on anonymous troll boards post. But he didn’t.

To be fair to Elko and the Texas A&M locker room. There appears to have been some issues with a minority portion of the fan base. Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed had to change his phone number after he was doxxed following A&M's loss to Kentucky.

During the news conference, Elko said his comments Saturday were not about shifting the blame, saying he was the reason why the Aggies are struggling this season. He also claimed to have a good relationship with Liucci that dates back to when Elko was a defensive coordinator at Texas A&M in 2018.

"I think in the heat of the moment, I think I answered a question in a way that I certainly regret," Elko said. "I think everybody knows I have a tremendous relationship with Billy. I appreciate Billy.

"I appreciate him being here today. There's nothing about Billy and I that have ever been off since 2018. I think everybody knows I appreciate our fan base and everything that they're about and everything that they mean to Texas A&M. And you know, outside of that, I'll leave it alone."

The problem with Elko's answer on Monday is that he didn't explain exactly what he regretted saying. And if he truly regretted saying what he said, he never apologized for calling a significant portion of the fan base a "cesspool." He seems to regret the reaction of the fan base more than the comments he seems to still believe.

For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.