Oklahoma coaches, athletes form united front against racist video
A nine-second video of hate speech by a University of Oklahoma fraternity was met with protests that came in waves Monday, in person on the Norman campus and throughout social media.
Sooners coaches and athletes added their voices to the outrage.
Oklahoma is gearing up for the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City this week, but men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger and some players joined the protest after the racist video by members of the OU Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter surfaced. Sigma Alpha Epsilon said it was closing the chapter.
“Anyone that hears those comments, they’re disgraceful and intolerable,” Kruger said during the Big 12 coaches’ teleconference. “It affects everyone in a negative light.”
Football coach Bob Stoops and members of the football team also were part of the demonstration, and no player came stronger than linebacker Eric Striker, who responded with a profanity-laced video that is no longer available online.
Stoops said he wanted to stand with his players at the rally, which included about 100 athletes.
“It’s sad the ignorance that can still be there with some people,” Stoops told the Tulsa World. “It’s just appalling.
“I was here to be with my guys. We all work with beautiful young men and women of all races. It’s just — very little gets me choked up. But that hurt.”
Other Oklahoma athletes were more measured in their response.
“The OU SAE debacle is a perfect example of actions having unintended consequences,” said Gabe Ikard, a former Sooners offensive lineman, on his Twitter account. “One bus of idiots made an entire university look racist.”
“Suspension isn’t enough,” Zack Sanchez, a junior defensive back, posted on Twitter. “They shouldn’t be allowed to step foot on this campus EVER again.”
A united front by coaches and athletes is critical for recruiting, and the Sooners might have lost a football pledge Monday because of the fracas.
Four-star football recruit Jean Delance announced his decommitment from Oklahoma on Monday. A recruiting analyst from Scout.com, Bob Pryzbylo, spoke to Delance, an offensive lineman from Mesquite, Texas, who said he was “greatly impacted” by the video.
To reach Blair Kerkhoff, call 816-234-4730 or send email to bkerkhoff@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BlairKerkhoff.
This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Oklahoma coaches, athletes form united front against racist video."