The Texas A&M Aggies have spent the past two days dealing with more than the fallout from a 27-6 loss to Missouri.
Head coach Mike Elko also drew criticism for referring to the TexAgs online community as “Billy’s cesspool” during his postgame news conference. On Monday, Elko addressed those comments and apologized for how they came across.
The Athletic’s David Ubben reported that Elko expressed regret while also making clear he appreciates the Texas A&M fan base.
“I regret the way it was taken, I regret the way it came out. I regret the way it ran. That certainly was never my intention,” Elko said.
Texas A&M’s Mike Elko Addresses ‘Cesspool’ Comments
Elko’s original comments came after Texas A&M fell to 3-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play with its third loss in four games.
Asked after the Missouri loss what his message was to a frustrated fan base, Elko separated Texas A&M supporters from what he sees on social media.
“There’s a difference to me between the fan base and social media,” Elko said. “So, there’s one group that I really don’t care much about. Billy’s cesspool can go be Billy’s cesspool. Our fan base, stay with us, be behind us. We’re going to build something that we told you we were going to build. We’re in a really bad spot right now, but we’ll work our way out of it.”
The “Billy” reference was aimed at Billy Liucci, the executive editor and co-owner of TexAgs, one of the largest independent sites covering Texas A&M athletics.
The comment immediately drew attention because it came after another frustrating performance from the Aggies and appeared to take a shot at a large segment of the fan base.
Ubben added Monday that Elko said he has a “tremendous relationship” with Liucci and thanked him for attending the news conference.
Liucci had previously acknowledged Elko’s frustration but said it was the “wrong time and wrong audience” for the comment.
Mike Elko Still Facing Pressure After Missouri Loss
The apology may help cool the off-field issue, but the frustration that led to the original question isn’t going away simply because Elko addressed the comment.
Texas A&M entered the season with major expectations after reaching the College Football Playoff in 2025. Instead, the Aggies are back at .500 midway through the regular season after opening the year ranked No. 8.
Missouri controlled Saturday’s game from the start. Texas A&M managed only six points and 216 total yards, including 29 rushing yards, while falling to its third SEC loss.
The Aggies have now lost to Kentucky, LSU and Missouri, with their only conference win coming against Arkansas.
That recent stretch has put more attention on an offense that has struggled to consistently move the ball and increased the scrutiny surrounding Elko in his third season.
His postgame answer only added another problem to a weekend already full of them.
Monday’s comments were an attempt to separate his frustration with online criticism from how he feels about the broader Texas A&M fan base and Liucci personally.
Elko said the original message was never intended to land the way it did.
Now that he has addressed it, the bigger issue remains the same one that created the frustration in the first place: Texas A&M has to start winning again.
Mike Elko Apologizes After ‘Cesspool’ Jab at Texas A&M Fan Site