Morgan State places Bozeman on leave

Jan 9, 2012 - 9:45 PM Baltimore, MD (Sports Network) - Morgan State has placed Todd Bozeman on administrative leave while the school investigates an alleged altercation between the men's basketball coach and one of his players.

The school confirmed in an email that Bozeman would not coach the team for its road game against Savannah State on Monday night and said it was "attempting to gather all of the facts to try and determine exactly what happened."

The Baltimore Sun first reported that Bozeman had been suspended with pay following an alleged incident involving the coach and senior point guard Larry Bastfield during Saturday's victory at South Carolina State.

Witnesses to the altercation thought they saw Bozeman punch Bastfield in the face, according to the paper, but the coach and player both contend that the incident has been blown out of proportion.

The guard said in a telephone interview that he "exaggerated" his reaction to the altercation and Bozeman told the paper he didn't hit the player in the face.

Morgan State says it "takes very seriously any incident that may result in injury to one of our students, faculty or staff."

"The (university) president hopes to have an opportunity to meet with the student-athlete and the coach as quickly as possible to bring some clarity to this matter," according to a statement.

Bozeman said he was told Sunday night by athletic director Floyd Kerr that he was being suspended pending an investigation of the altercation, according to the Sun. He was told to return home from Savannah, Georgia, where the team was preparing to play Savannah State.

Under Bozeman, the Bears won two straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Championships but failed in their bid for a third straight last season.

Assistant coach Kevin McClain will assume head coaching responsibilities for the team while Bozeman is out.