DENVER ? Dan Issel admitted Monday that he'll have to live with a certain stigma for the rest of his life in the wake of his racially charged comments to a heckler last week, but the coach denied that he was considering resigning from his job with the Denver Nuggets.

Making his first public comments since Wednesday, when the Nuggets suspended him for four games without pay, Issel said, "I'm not a racist," and attempted to mend fences and pave the way for his return to the bench for Saturday's home game against Golden State. In the meantime, assistant coach Mike Evans will continue to oversee the team for two games against San Antonio this week, including today's 7:10 p.m. contest at the Pepsi Center.

"This thing will never be over