St. Louis native and Australian professional basketball coach Justin Tatum issued an apology this week for his postgame outburst last week and later made clear that he views protecting his players as one of his biggest responsibilities.

After a game last week, Tatum called referees “incompetent” and questioned whether his race was to blame for the alleged disparate treatment.

Tatum, who previously coached at CBC, was also fined about $2,000 US dollars.

“As the head coach of the Illawarra Hawks, I acknowledge the responsibility of my role at the club and the example I set for my players and coaching staff and I apologize for comments made at the post-match media conference in reference to the NBL officials,” Tatum’s statement read.

Tatum, in his first full year as head coach of the Hawks (6-2) in Australia’s top professional basketball league, claimed Melbourne’s Chris Goulding flopped when he drew a foul late in a tight game Thursday.

Tatum earned a technical foul for his complaints even though the play in question ended up being wiped away because the clock hadn’t started.

“I told him that was a bleeping terrible call,” Tatum said Thursday night after the game. Tatum said that he didn’t direct any expletives at the referee and that other coaches would not have gotten a technical for the same language.

“I’m intimidating,” Tatum said. “I guess my voice is too deep. I’m too tall. My skin color is different. Whatever it is, it’s me. I hear the same coaches say similar to same things or complain about the same stuff and their leeway, their leash is a little bit longer. I guess I have to be made an example out of.”

In comments Tuesday to the Illawarra Mercury, Tatum made clear the importance he places on protecting his players.

“I’m always gonna be the head of the snake so my face is going to be front and center, and if you do good, you get congratulated. You do bad, you’re the reason why.

“But at the end of the day, I want to make sure that I protect these guys as much as I can on and off the court and they know that,” Tatum said.

“One of the reasons things happen, or coaches go on to stick their neck on the limb is to show them that I’m gonna take care of you no matter what off the court, you guys got to make sure you do your job on the court.

“And we just build a certain like confidence in our group and our team once they see that their coach will do that, that makes them hopefully want to come to fight and work harder, run through a wall through the game.

“So at times I think any coach will take anything on and put it on his shoulders and show his team that he’s with them no matter what.”

Justin Tatum, who played collegiately at St. Louis U. and McKendree, coached at Soldan and CBC. He is the father of Celtics star Jayson Tatum.

The Hawks are owned by CBC graduate Jared Novelly.