The 2012-2013 run of The Marshall Henderson Show closed with a loss (and a tantrum) in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The polarizing Ole Miss star -- who landed in the national spotlight as much for his prolific scoring as his taunting and trash talking -- wrote a letter to Rebels fans apologizing for his antics and promising to become a leader "both on and off the court."
"I play the game with a lot of passion, and sometimes that passion boils over," Henderson wrote, via olemisssports.com. "I take responsibility for my actions this season and apologize to anyone I offended. However, my edge on the court has made me the player that I am. I can’t change that, but I do understand that I can take things too far.
Click here to read the full letter.
"Obviously, the Marshall Henderson show is like the traveling circus," Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy said after the team won the SEC tournament, securing the program's first NCAA tournament spot since 2002. "It's up, it's down. We've got the high-wire act over here, the ponies here, we got all kinds of nonsense going on, and he draws a lot of attention. He's a big shot maker."
Not all of the attention that Henderson has drawn during his turbulent seasons at Ole Miss and Utah has been for his big shots or even his on-court antics. Henderson had been arrested multiple times before attending Ole Miss and served jail time in 2012 for violating probation. According to court documents obtained by USA Today Sports, Henderson violated his probation by testing positive for cocaine, marijuana and alcohol, resulting in him spending 25 days in jail.
Following his team's loss to La Salle in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, Henderson saluted fans in the stands with both middle fingers as he left the court. Asked about the incident, Henderson would later claim that he was responding to taunts from the crowd.
"When someone yells 'Your sister's a whore, you effing coke head,' at a time like that, I'm always the one to react. Whatever," Henderson said after the loss, via 610 Sports Radio. "That's how I react, When someone yells that at a time like that, I don't care, about anything, at that point."
More from the Associated Press:
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson posted a letter on the school's athletic website on Wednesday apologizing for some of his actions during a successful but turbulent season.
The 6-foot-2 junior averaged more than 20 points per game this season, leading the Rebels to their first NCAA tournament since 2002. But Henderson became more known for his exuberant celebrations and trash talking than his scoring ability. Multiple media outlets also reported that Henderson made an obscene gesture toward the crowd following the team's season-ending loss to LaSalle.
Henderson wrote that he plays the game with "a lot of passion, and sometimes that passion boils over." He also apologized to "anyone I offended" and that he "can take things too far."
Ole Miss spokesman Daniel Snowden said Henderson is not facing any discipline.
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