Miami (Ohio) coach Travis Steele has to replace an arena DJ's equipment that he damaged during a midgame tirade in a 69-67 win at Western Michigan on Friday, the MAC announced Monday. The league also fined him $2,500 for his actions.
Miami, a team seeking its first NCAA tournament berth since 2007, won Friday's game on a late basket to preserve its 29-0 record. At halftime of that game, however, Steele pointed to and chastised every referee on the floor after he picked up a technical foul and subsequently pushed the speaker of "The Most Incredible DJ Chuck" -- real name Charles Welch -- onto the floor and walked toward the locker room.
"Miami University Men's Basketball Coach Travis Steele has been fined $2,500 by the Mid-American Conference for halftime conduct during the Redhawks' game at Western Michigan on Friday, February 27," the MAC's statement said. "The conduct violated the MAC sportsmanship policy. Steele will also reimburse for damages to equipment that may have occurred during this incident."
— MACtion (@MACSports) March 2, 2026
Welch said Steele was responsible for significant damage to his equipment.
"The speaker busted," he told ESPN. "Then I later found out the booth output on the back was damaged. Turntables and speakers. Taxes and shipping and you're almost at $3,000 in damage."
Welch also said the TV cameras didn't show the argument he had with Steele in the visitors tunnel following the incident.
"We had a little verbal confrontation up under the tunnel," said Welch, who has been Western Michigan's arena DJ for men's basketball for the past four years. "He didn't initially go into the locker room. He was still yelling and shouting. I was like, 'Yo, what's your problem?'"
But Steele called to apologize Monday and Miami is reimbursing him for the damaged equipment too, Welch said.
"He was heated that his team was losing at halftime," Welch told ESPN. "It's sports. We know how it gets."
After Friday's game, Steele said he has to compose himself in those fiery moments.
"Listen, I don't even know how I got that technical," Steele said after the game. "I'm still trying to figure that one out. That really upset me. And I can't do that. I can't get technical fouls. Again, the margin for error is so small, and I've got to be better."