Student Who Led Racist SAE Chant Apologizes
One of the University of Oklahoma students expelled for leading a bus load of his fraternity brothers in the racist chant, "There will never be a n***er in SAE," has written an apology letter. Parker Rice, a 19-year-old freshman, claims that he was intoxicated when he encouraged his brothers to sing-a-long with the chant taught to him by elder members of his frat.
“I am deeply sorry for what I did ... It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same," wrote Rice.
"I withdrew from the university, and sadly, at this moment our family is not able to be in our home because of threatening calls as well as frightening talk on social media," he continued in the letter via his father.
“I know everyone wants to know why or how this happened. I admit it likely was fueled by alcohol consumed at the house before the bus trip, but that’s not an excuse. Yes, the song was taught to us, but that too doesn’t work as an explanation. It’s more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn’t do. I didn’t say no, and I clearly dismissed an important value I learned at my beloved high school, Dallas Jesuit. We were taught to be ‘Men for Others.’ I failed in that regard, and in those moments, I also completely ignored the core values and ethics I learned from my parents and others."
He goes on to call the incident a "devastating lesson" and mentions his concern for his friends and other members of the fraternity, which has since been suspended following the release of the video. Rice concludes the letter by stating, "All I can do is be thoughtful and prayerful."
Another student, Levi Pettit, also wrote an apology via his family, who created a website in his defense.
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(Photo: AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
