Oklahoma Football Team Protests Against Racist Fraternity
The University of Oklahoma's football team protested on campus Monday against a fraternity's blatant racism.
On Sunday night, a video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chanting, “There will never be a n****r SAE / There will never be a n****r SAE / You can hang 'em from a tree, but they’ll never [inaudible] with me / There will never be a n****r SAE,” surfaced on the Internet.
On Sunday night, Oklahoma's president David Boren banned the frat from campus and gave them until midnight Monday to move out.
"To those who have misused their free speech in a reprehensible way, I have a message for you...you are disgraceful," Boren wrote in a statement Sunday night obtained by Yahoo Sports. "You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves 'Sooners.' Real Sooners are not racist. Real Sooners are not bigots. Real Sooners believe in equal opportunity. Real Sooners treat all people with respect. Real Sooners love each other and take care of each other like family members.
"Effective immediately, all ties and affiliations between this University and the local SAE chapter are hereby severed," he added. "I direct that the house be closed and that members will remove their personal belongings from the house by midnight [Monday]."
The Sooners football team and other athletes from the school protested against the frat and held a prayer Monday as well.
"It’s sad the ignorance that can still be there with some people. It’s just appalling," Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops told the Tulsa World, as reported by Yahoo Sports. "I was here to be with my guys. We all work with beautiful young men and women of all races. It’s just, you know, very little gets me choked up. But that hurt."
Upon learning about the video, several players took to their Twitter accounts to express disgust and disappointment.
"It's sad that it's 2015 and stuff like this is still happening!" said Sooners junior wideout Sterling Shepard.
Added former Sooner and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy: "I've seen the video 'supposedly' from my Alma Mater. Regardless of the school the act is just saddening. But it's the harsh reality of today."
As of Monday afternoon, the hashtag #SAEhatesme was trending on Twitter.
BET Sports News - Get the latest news and information about African-Americans in sports including weekly recaps, celebrity news and photos of your favorite Black athletes. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
(Photo: Guerin Emig via Twitter)
