Texas A&M coach Mike Elko apologized Monday for postgame remarks criticizing fans on social media, saying two days after the comments that he regretted how they came out and how they were received. The Mike Elko cesspool apology came roughly 48 hours after his original criticism following a 27-6 loss to Missouri on Saturday.
“I think in the heat of the moment, I answered a question in a way that I certainly regret,” Elko said. “I think everybody knows I have a tremendous relationship with Billy. I appreciate Billy.
I appreciate him being here today. There’s nothing about Billy and I that have ever been off since 2018. I think everybody knows I appreciate our fan base and everything that they’re about and everything that they mean to Texas A&M.
And outside of that, I’ll leave it alone. I regret the way it was taken. I regret the way it came out.
I regret the way it ran. And so that certainly was never my intention.”
What Elko Said After The Missouri Loss
In his Saturday postgame press conference, Elko drew a line between the broader Texas A&M fan base and critics on the TexAgs message board, which he referred to as “Billy’s cesspool,” a reference to TexAgs editor and co-owner Billy Liucci.
“There is a difference between the fan base and social media,” Elko said at the time. “There’s one group that I really don’t care much about. Billy’s cesspool can go be Billy’s cesspool.
Our fan base, be with us. Stay behind us. We are going to build something we told you we were going to build.
We are in a really bad spot right now, but we are going to work our way out of it.”
Liucci’s Response
Liucci responded on social media, calling Elko’s decision to single out what he described as “an incredibly large portion of the loyal but also understandably frustrated fan base” immediately after a lopsided loss “a wildly unnecessary misstep.”
“Going to show restraint here (for now) and get back to answering questions, but the head coach losing 27-6 then immediately calling out an incredibly large portion of the loyal but also understandably frustrated fan base was a wildly unnecessary misstep,” Liucci said, according to FootballScoop.
Until the original comments, Liucci and most of the Texas A&M fan base had been supportive of Elko and the program’s direction, according to FootballScoop. The outlet noted it marked the first time in more than two seasons as head coach that Elko found himself working from behind with a significant portion of his own fan base.
A Rough Stretch For A Team Picked For The Playoff
The friction surfaced during a disappointing stretch for a Texas A&M team that opened the season ranked No. 8 nationally. The Aggies have fallen to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play, a sharp drop from a 2025 season that produced an 11-2 record and a College Football Playoff appearance.
Saturday’s loss to Missouri exposed some of those problems. Starting quarterback Marcel Reed completed fewer than 50% of his passes for 187 yards and threw two interceptions in the 27-6 defeat, according to CBS Sports. Texas A&M’s offensive struggles have been a recurring theme during the three-game skid.
Elko is working under a $69 million contract, according to Yahoo Sports, a deal signed before the current downturn.
What’s Next
Texas A&M has not issued a statement from the athletic department addressing the dispute, and it remains unclear how fans or Liucci have responded to Elko’s apology. The Aggies’ next matchup was not detailed in the available reporting, though Total Apex Sports previously covered the buildup to the Missouri game in its Texas A&M vs Missouri preview and the team’s earlier test in Arkansas vs Texas A&M.
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