"I can't be perfect all the time": Kansas guard Zeke Mayo addresses racist, threatening messages after Jayhawks' loss

On Sunday, Kansas guard Zeke Mayo responded to racist and threatening messages he received on social media following the Jayhawks' 78-73 loss to No. 10 Texas Tech.

Mayo shared screenshots of the messages, which included racist language and threats of violence, on his X account. He later deactivated his account.

"I 100% deserve all the criticism in the world," Mayo wrote in the post on X while attaching the screenshots. “My performance was beyond pitiful today, and has been for a while now. I work my (expletive) off everyday to be great, but I can’t be perfect all the time. I’m sorry to our fans and my teammates, I will continue to get better."

The guard was targeted after the Jayhawks lost their third home game of the season. It's their most home defeats since 2017-18.

The Jayhawks, now 19-10 overall and 10-8 in the Big 12, sit sixth in the conference standings. This marks their second straight season with at least eight conference losses.

Mayo has averaged 14.0 points per game, second on the team behind Hunter Dickinson's 16.9 ppg.

Zeke Mayo receives strong support from Kansas and teammates amid social media backlash

Following the loss, Kansas coach Bill Self released a statement.

"I can do a lot of things better," Self said. "We all could do a lot of things better. But I'll roll with these guys every day and be proud of it. Any criticism about the team should be directed at me. I'm the head coach."

Kansas Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Travis Goff responded on X, addressing criticism directed at Zeke Mayo.

"To Zeke and all our guys – the Jayhawk family loves you and will always ride with you through thick and thin," Goff wrote.

Kansas will visit No. 4 Houston on Monday night before finishing its season at home against No. 22 Arizona on Saturday.