Cleveland Cavaliers coach John Beilein has been resigned amid a new report from the Athletic detailing how players responded to an offensive remark he made about them in January.

Cavaliers players haven’t been publicly vocal about their feelings toward the recently resigned head coach. But reports have come out this week that give insight as to how the players did respond to him referring to the team as “a bunch of thugs.” Instead of ripping on the former head coach, Cavs players have been playing songs like Trick Daddy’s "I’m a Thug" to get their points across.

Beilein used the phrase during a film study session with the team in January as Blavity previously reported. The maligned coach then reached out to players to apologize and explained that he meant to use the term “slugs” in regard to how the team was performing.

The players weren’t buying it.

According to an Athletic report, multiple members of the team have been playing songs that included the word "thug" in the title or lyrics during practices since the incident to troll the coach.

“[M]ultiple players began playing songs that included the word 'thug' whenever Beilein was within earshot, sources said: Bone Thugz-n-Harmony's 'Thuggish Ruggish Bone' and Tupac's 'Thugz Mansion' among them. As the team boarded the bus a few days after the incident, one player was intentionally playing Trick Daddy's 'I'm a Thug' with Beilein a few feet away. Other players blasted songs with the word 'thug' loudly during workouts in the facility. Players did this to make light of a very tough situation, according to one team source.”

Though there hasn't been much public criticism of Beilein by the members of the team, several reports have indicated the players haven’t bought into the coach's justification or his apology. One player told The Athletic, "The worst part to me was not owning that he said it."

Despite Beilein being in the first year of a five-year deal, he and the Cavs decided it would be best to look at other options for head coach. The former Michigan Wolverine head coach stepped down from the post, and team general manager Koby Altman announced that Beilein would be reassigned to a different role on Wednesday.

Cleveland.com reports Beilein gave an emotional farewell to players on Wednesday and said the decision came because he felt he could no longer be of service to the team.

In remarks about his resignation, the once-celebrated college hoops coach said the team’s 14-40 record took a greater toll on him than expected and that he didn’t want it to affect his family.

“This was a very difficult decision for me, but I want to be clear – this was my decision to step down and I truly appreciate the understanding and support of the front office during this time. I find losing very challenging and this year has taken a much bigger toll on me than I expected," he said. "I grew concerned for the consequences this toll could potentially take on my own health and my family’s well-being down the road. I was not certain I could be at my best for the remainder of the season and in the future. That would not be fair to the players, coaches and support staff.”

Assistant coach J.B. Bickerstaff will take the reins of the team full-time in the interim and may be a viable option moving forward. Bickerstaff, the son of former NBA coach Bernie Bickerstaff, played college basketball at Oregon State and Minnesota. However, in his last stint as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, the new Cavs coach was fired after amassing a 48-97 record and failing to reach the playoffs.

John-Beilein

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