Arizona Player Dismissed After Video Shows Slur

Arizona dismissed linebacker Santino Marchiol from the program Monday, coach Kevin Sumlin announced, after a video surfaced in which he twice appeared to refer to former Texas A&M teammates as monkeys.

The source of the video, was uploaded last week, was Marchiol's Hudl account, a website where film and other analytics are stored. The clip was discovered by A&M fans and circulated on social media before it was deleted.

Last week, USA TODAY reported Marchiol had made accusations of misconduct against A&M, his former program, as he attempted to gain immediate eligibility at Arizona through a waiver request. Marchiol alleged that A&M's new coaching staff under Jimbo Fisher had illegally mandated practices in the summer and that linebackers coach Bradley Dale Peveto had given him hundreds of dollars to entertain recruits. Fisher has said the school will look into the allegations.

The larger issue for the NCAA was whether Marchiol might begin a trend of athletes using damaging information against schools in waiver requests based on a policy allowing immediate transfer eligibilityif there were "documented mitigating circumstances."

He will not be that test case now that Arizona has parted ways with him.

The video appears to show Marchiol and a woman watching film of him. On one occasion she asks, "Who's 26, carrying the ball?" A male voice, seemingly Marchiol, responds, "Yeah one of those monkeys." In another clip, the woman asks about a safety, and he responds, "Yeah, they call him the monkey safety," followed by laughter.

Attorney Thomas Mars, whom Marchiol hired to deal with his waiver request, said in a statement: "As someone who helped lead the effort to advance diversity in the legal profession, served on the National Urban League board, and worked closely with people like Dennis Archer, Rev. Al Sharpton, and other prominent African-American leaders, I understand and respect the University's decision. On the other hand, as someone who's grown close to Santino and who knows the quality of his character, the depth of his faith, and the sincerity of his convictions, I'm heartbroken. What can be heard on the highlights video doesn't reflect the values or beliefs of the young man that I've come to know."

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