Penn State coach Jim Ferry hit with $10K fine by Big Ten, apologizes for ‘unacceptable’ behavior

The Big Ten hit Penn State interim coach Jim Ferry with a $10,000 fine and public reprimand Tuesday as a result of “Coach Ferry’s postgame actions” following the Nittany Lions’ 80-72 loss to Purdue on Sunday. Ferry, who received a technical foul in the game, responded with a public apology to “the officials, Big Ten Conference and our fans for my actions.”

Penn State was whistled for 26 fouls in the game and shot just 13 free throws, while the Boilermakers were only called for 16 fouls and shot 33 free throws. Ferry’s technical came with 16:56 remaining after a foul called against Purdue center Zach Edey, who had contested a lay-up attempt by Penn State’s Izaiah Brockington. Something from the sequence appeared to set off Ferry, who had to be restrained by his staff after receiving the technical foul.

Moments after the final buzzer sounded, the Big Ten Network broadcast appeared to show Ferry trying to spark a conversation with the officials as they walked off the court. Ferry, 53, was named interim coach after Pat Chambers resigned in October following an internal investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct.

“I was just fighting for our guys,” Ferry said after the game. “I thought that some of the calls were a little uneven or inconsistent. I’ve been coaching for a long time and I wasn’t ranting and raving, I wasn’t cursing. I thought there was a little sensitivity on that but I’ll deal with that differently.”

Penn State athletic director Sandy Barbour said Ferry’s actions in the Purdue game “are not the example we want to set for the young men in our program nor do they represent the values of Penn State, intercollegiate athletics or our men’s basketball program.”

“I regret my actions and know my behavior was unacceptable,” Ferry said. “I would also like to apologize to our team, our athletics department and our university. I have a high standard for myself and my team in representing Penn State and my actions Sunday failed to live up to that standard and set an example for my team. I am disappointed in myself; I have learned from this experience and will make sure it does not happen again.”