CONCORD, N.H. — A New Hampshire high school basketball star has been stripped of his Player of the Year award after he posted an offensive comment on Twitter.

Pat Welch helped lead Pembroke Academy to back-to-back Division II basketball championships. The Concord Monitor reports Welch tweeted a profane message to Portsmouth on March 15, shortly after his team beat them to win the state title.

“Shout out to Portsmouth, you may have won the regular season…… But we won the ship you suck,” Welch wrote, punctuating his statement with a hashtag that featured an expletive.

The New Hampshire Basketball Coaches Organization stripped Welch of his award last week because of “flagrant unsportsmanlike behavior.”

“Last week, Pat Welch was named by the Division 2 coaches as their Player of the Year. Since that time, it has come to the NHBCO executive board’s attention that Pat Welch displayed flagrant unsportsmanlike behavior. We have contacted Pembroke Academy and informed them of our decision,” the organization said in a release.

“It is with great sadness that this committee has to act on this situation, but we strive to uphold the tenet that this award is not based solely on a basketball player’s ability but also on that player’s character and demonstrated sportsmanship.”

Welch said he was sorry for what he did and that it was a learning experience.


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