Junior Iowa State guard Rasir Bolton tweeted a photo, stating his reasoning for leaving the Penn State men’s basketball at the end of the 2018-19 season.

He said “A ‘noose’ around his neck” is why he left the Penn State men’s basketball program.

“Head coach Pat Chambers, the day after his one-game suspension in January 2019, in talking to me referenced a ‘noose’ around my neck,” part of his statement said. “A noose; symbolic of lynching, defined as one of the most powerful symbols directed at African-Americans invoking the history of lynching, slavery and racial terrorism. Due to other interactions with coach, I knew this wasn’t a slip of the tongue.”

Bolton said he reported the incident to his academic advisor, confronted coach Chambers, and him and his parents met with the athletic director.

Chambers admitted what he said but according to Bolton, he never apologized for what he said at the time.

“He said that he was ‘from the north and wasn’t aware'” Bolton said. “

Bolton said that some repercussions followed, he was told that he couldn’t be trusted and that he wasn’t “all in” or “loyal.”

He claimed that he was sent to a psychologist where he was taught to “deal with Coach Chambers’ personality type.”

Bolton said he only heard from Penn State’s Integrity Office six months later when he was at Iowa State and requesting a waiver. 

He ended his statement by saying “There is a serious need for change in the way players are protected and helped across the country when faced with these situations…Surface level resources are not good enough, in most cases the coach is protected, while the player is left to deal with it or leave.”

Chambers released a statement on Monday after Bolton released his statement.