Long Beach City College football coach Brett Peabody apologized Monday for remarks he made to a prominent progressive journalist on X the day prior, calling it “an embarrassment for the college.”

The message, sent privately on X (formerly Twitter) at 4:42 p.m. Sunday, was directed to Aaron Rupar, a Minnesota-based publisher with online notoriety for his criticism of President Donald Trump.

“You’re done you sorry fascist scumbag, hope you get held accountable for the bulls*** that (you’ve) spread. Justice is in the horizon kiddo,” the direct message read.

In a screenshot of the message shared to his account Sunday night, Rupar captioned: “I get lots of threatening DMs but I usually don’t get them from head coaches of college football programs.” Rupar also tagged the college and Peabody’s account, which remains private.

The post has since garnered more than a million views and thousands of reposts and comments, some of which call for college administrators to step in.

Peabody told the Long Beach Post on Monday that the message “was clearly not the best decision” and has only brought unwanted attention to the college.

He called his decision to send it “dumb” and said he wanted to make a “wholehearted apology to the college and the college community.”

While he felt the language he used was “harsh and regrettable,” Peabody said it was intended as a “criticism” of Rupar’s coverage of Trump and “unprofessional” behavior online.

“It was not a threat in any way, shape or form,” Peabody said. “If you read it, I’m not sure how it could be construed as a threat. … I’d like to see journalists held at a higher standard.”

In response, Rupar said on a call Monday he was never in fear for his safety. But he decided to share the message publicly given it was sent through Peabody’s professional account, a reflection, he said, of poor character and misconduct. The publisher added it is not his intention for Peabody to be fired but said it does “raise questions about (Peabody’s) character.”

“I think people like that need to be a little more accountable for their actions,” Rupar said. “I think it’s a bit out of line.”

Peabody said the response, at least among those who know him, has been supportive. He has received several calls and messages from people disparaging him over the comments.

“It’s just amazing how many people take time out of their day to either call the office line or send me an email or send me an unpleasant message,” Peabody said.

This is not the first time Peabody’s social media activity has raised eyebrows, according to someone close to the situation who asked not to be identified to maintain relationships.

In screenshots shared with the Post, the 11-year coach has previously reshared to his X account conspiracy theories related to the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol and the coronavirus pandemic.

The coach acknowledged previous friction with the college over his stance on the vaccine mandate. He said he sought a religious exemption and assured he and the administration are now in good standing.

He said, so far, the college’s administration has not spoken to him about his message to Rupar or the controversy that followed.

In a statement Monday, an LBCC spokesperson said the school is aware of the situation and characterized it as a “pending personnel matter.”

Peabody came to the college in 2013 following a 10-year career at nearby Los Angeles Harbor College, including the final three years as head coach. He hopes to return to coach for a 12th season at LBCC next month.

“Had a really good meeting with the (College) administration after the season, been excited to get rolling for the new year but we’ll see what happens,” Peabody said.

Editor’s note: This story was updated to add more detail about Peabody’s apology make it more clear he called the message “dumb.