Greenberg issues letter of apology

Cal State Long Beach men's basketball Coach Seth Greenberg on Friday issued a letter of apology to two New Mexico State students he accused of shouting racial slurs at him and his players.

The students, Charles Sallee and Craig Sullivan, had retained a lawyer and demanded Greenberg issue a public apology by Feb. 12, with threat of a lawsuit against CSULB should they not get one. They alleged Greenberg slandered them and violated their civi l rights by having them removed from the Pan American Center during a Jan. 22 game between the schools.

Greenberg continues to stand by his allegations that members of the NMSU student body were shouting racial slurs at his players, but was convinced that Sallee and Sullivan were not among them.

"We know who did [shout epithets]," said a source familiar with the situation, "therefore we know who did not. By virtue of what they were wearing, Seth knows it wasn't those kids. We certainly did not want to falsely accuse anyone."

The saga began Jan. 22 at a nationally-televised game between the 49ers and NMSU. Prior to that game, an anti-Semitic slur directed at Greenberg, who is Jewish, was discovered written on a message board in the visitors locker room of the arena.

During the game, a 76-63 CSULB loss, Greenberg alleges he and his team members were repeatedly showered with racial epithets from a group of students seated near the 49er bench. Greenberg identified the students he said were involved and they were remove d.

However, an investigation conducted by NMSU officials found no one who could substantiate Greenberg's claim that racial slurs were shouted at his players. Sallee and Sullivan have also denied hearing or shouting racial epithets at the game, saying they t aunted Greenberg only about his balding head.

Their lawyer, Paul Bardacke, could not be reached at his Albuquerque office for comment.