{"id":517,"section":"sports","section_label":"Sports","url":"https://www.brokenews.co/sports/517","headline":"Elko walks back 'cesspool' jab at Aggies message board","dek":"Texas A&M's coach said he regrets how his comment about TexAgs came out after a 27-6 loss to Missouri extended the Aggies' losing streak.","body":"Mike Elko is backtracking. The Texas A&M head coach apologized for calling a section of the Aggies' fan base a \"cesspool\" after Saturday's 27-6 loss to Missouri, a defeat that came after the team started the season 2-0 before dropping three straight games.\n\nThe comment came when Elko was asked what he'd tell Aggies fans who might be losing faith in the season. He drew a line between the broader fan base and social media, saying \"Billy's cesspool can go be Billy's cesspool,\" a direct reference to TexAgs and its executive editor and co-owner, Billy Liucci. Elko added that the actual fan base should \"stay with us, be behind us,\" insisting the program is still building toward what it promised.\n\nThe remark went viral and drew criticism toward Elko. He has since said he regrets the way it came out, framing it as something said in the heat of the moment following a tough loss as the program tries to right itself after its fast start to the season.","published_at":"2026-10-12T23:04:35.401115+00:00","source_count":4,"written_from":[{"outlet":"CBS Sports","publisher":"CBS Sports","title":"Texas A&M's Mike Elko apologizes for 'cesspool' comment, criticism of fans","url":"https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mike-elko-cesspool-texas-a-m-apology/"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Mike Elko clarifies ‘Billy’s cesspool’ comments about TexAgs: ‘I regret the way it came out’","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-elko-clarifies-billy-cesspool-223048955.html"},{"outlet":"Awful Announcing","publisher":"Awful Announcing","title":"Mike Elko clarifies ‘Billy’s cesspool’ comments about TexAgs: ‘I regret the way it came out’","url":"https://awfulannouncing.com/college-football/mike-elko-regrets-texags-billys-cesspool-comments.html"},{"outlet":"ESPN","publisher":"ESPN","title":"Texas A&M coach Elko expresses regret for 'cesspool' comments","url":"https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/50168753/texas-coach-mike-elko-regrets-cesspool-comments"}],"more_coverage":[{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Billy Liucci responds to Mike Elko’s ‘cesspool’ comment about TexAgs","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/billy-liucci-responds-mike-elko-154518292.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"‘In the Heat of the Moment’ — Texas A&M Coach Mike Elko Regrets Postgame Remark About TexAgs After 27-6 Loss as Fans Are Divided on Apology","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/heat-moment-texas-m-coach-200605722.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Mike Elko expresses 'regret' for 'cesspool' comment in response to question about Texas A&M fans","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/college-football/article/mike-elko-expresses-regret-for-cesspool-comment-in-response-to-question-about-texas-am-fans-201444393.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Mike Elko apologizes for 'cesspool' comment about Texas A&M message board","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-elko-apologizes-cesspool-texas-201427882.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Texas A&M's Mike Elko says he regrets how his ‘cesspool' comment about website came across to fans","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/texas-ms-mike-elko-says-202705493.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Mike Elko apologizes for 'cesspool' comments at Texas A&M fans","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-elko-apologizes-cesspool-comments-210448830.html"},{"outlet":"Yahoo Sports","publisher":"Yahoo Sports","title":"Mike Elko apologizes for dissing Texas A&M fans after getting crushed by Missouri","url":"https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/mike-elko-apologizes-dissing-texas-211213925.html"}],"image":{"url":"https://sportshub.cbsistatic.com/i/2026/10/12/ce3e19b0-aea0-4376-a697-59e9caff94b4/elko.jpg","credit":"CBS Sports","width":1920},"embed":null,"license":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/","attribution":"Analysis data is licensed CC BY 4.0. Credit brokenews and link to the story page you took it from. Source headlines, story titles taken from a source headline, and quoted passages remain the property of their publishers and are quoted for comparison, not licensed onward.","terms":"https://www.brokenews.co/about#reuse"}