FC Cincinnati head coach Ron Jans said he was singing along to a song in the locker room. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

FC Cincinnati coach Ron Jans has stepped away from the team amid an investigation into accusations that he used the N-word, according to Pat Brennan and Sharon Coolidge of The Cincinnati Enquirer.

Jans, who is from the Netherlands, reportedly told FC Cincinnati President Jeff Berding he used the word while singing along to music in the locker room and that a player later informed him privately that using the word is unacceptable in the U.S.

The complaint reportedly came to the team’s attention through the MLS Players Association. It also reportedly claimed that Jans made inappropriate comments about slavery before a game in October, as part of a speech that was apparently supposed to inspire the team to overcome adversity.

From The Enquirer:

“The Players Association was very recently made aware of extremely inappropriate comments made by FC Cincinnati coach Ron Jans,” MLSPA said in a statement provided to The Enquirer. “We have made a report to the appropriate league officials and expect an immediate and thorough league investigation to be conducted.”

Jans was hired last August after a coaching search that was reportedly focused on a short-term solution for a rebuilding team. Jans had previously spent his entire playing and coaching career in the Eastern Hemisphere, mainly in Dutch leagues.

With Jans out, assistant coaches Yoann Damet and Ivar van Dinteren will run the club for at least one preseason friendly.

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