What to Know About Jerome Tang, Kansas State Dispute

Jerome Tang won’t coach another game for Kansas State men’s basketball, but his Manhattan era is apparently far from over.

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Despite his firing from the head coaching spot, Jerome Tang‘s presence will apparently hang over the Kansas State men’s basketball program.

Tang’s three-plus season tenure at the helm of the Wildcats came to an end on Sunday, just about 24 hours after KSU dropped a 78-64 decision to third-ranked Houston. That dropped Kansas State to 1-11 in Big 12 conference play and associate head coach Matthew Driscoll will take over for the rest of the season. KSU plays on Tuesday night against Baylor (9 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Armed with Bruce Weber holdover Markquis Nowell and transfers Keyontae Johnson and Nae’Qwan Tomlin, Tang’s first K-State group reached the Elite Eight round in 2023. That was followed up by a brief NIT appearance and three consecutive seasons with at least 10 conference losses.

Tang Era Likely Continues in a New Kind of Court

The lingering controversy over Tang’s firing is Kansas State has claimed to have fired Tang for cause, which would get the program out of an $18 million buyout on Tang’s contract. Per Jeff Borzello and Pete Thamel of ESPN, another recent contest led to KSU referencing a clause in Tang’s contract that would target behavior that would bring, “public disrepute, embarrassment, ridicule” to the university.

The Wildcats are two games removed from a 91-62 home shellacking at the hands of mediocre Cincinnati. After that game, Tang tore apart those who took the floor, hinting at tough times ahead for the Wildcats.

“These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform. There will be very few of them in it next year,” Tang said, per Matthew Ho and CJ Moore of The Athletic. “I’m embarrassed for the university, and I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words.”

K-State athletic director Gene Taylor alluded to the comments in his statement announcing Tang’s firing.

Update: Jerome Tang has retained Tom Mars and Bennett Speyer in the case of his firing for cause. Mars told ESPN: “If K-State’s President and AD really think the school was embarrassed by recent events, that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to… https://t.co/deGmkldkAh

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 16, 2026

“This was a decision that was made in the best interest of our university and men’s basketball program,” Taylor wrote. “Recent public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction, have not aligned with K-State’s standards for supporting student-athletes and representing the university. We wish Coach Tang and his family all the best moving forward.”

While it appears that the Wildcats are done with Tang, he doesn’t appear done with them: the ex-boss released a statement vowing to fight the ruling and has engaged in a new form of elite recruitment. A report from Thamel states that Tang has hired attorneys Thomas Mars and Bennett Speyer to represent him and both have extensive work in collegiate athletic cases.

Mars was previously part of the legal team that helped Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss gain another year of eligibility from the NCAA, which attempted to block his return based on redshirt injury management from his 2022 sophomore season at Ferris State. Speyer was the attorney for current West Virginia football head coach Rich Rodriguez when he was accused of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment during his time at the helm at the University of Arizona. The case was dismissed in 2021.

For the time being, no official lawsuit has been filed. In a statement to Pete Nakos of On3 Sports, Mars stated that he and his team will give K-State “a few days to regain their senses.” But Mars and Speyer are on retainer and are willing to seek the case to completion, with the former calling out both Taylor and KSU president Richard Linton.

“If K-State’s President and AD really think the school was embarrassed by recent events, that’s nothing compared to the embarrassment that both of them are about to experience,” Mars said through an X post from Thamel.

Geoff Magliocchetti on X @GeoffJMags