A Michigan high school football player has been suspended indefinitely after an investigation was opened into allegations that he posted content to social media that encouraged violence against African Americans.
Kingsley High School football coach Tim Wooer sent a letter to parents and also posted on Facebook in response to the incident, saying he felt the need to address a “significant and horrific event in judgement by at least one of our varsity players.”
Wooer went on to explain to parents that the varsity players have a group chat on Facebook that they use to communicate. He said that Kinsley participated in a 7-on-7 scrimmage over the weekend and played “various Muskegon area schools.” Two of the teams, he said, had Black players.
“We had zero issues with any of the African-American schools involved,” Wooer wrote. “Both schools were classy and well coached. Upon return, it was brought to my attention (Wednesday, July 14) via Facebook of an incredibly inappropriate post in the group chat containing racial slurs and statements of violence against African-Americans. Within minutes of receiving this information, I notified our superintendent, principal, and athletic director. An investigation is currently underway. At this time, at least one player has been suspended indefinitely and the investigation is ongoing. An athletic council will meet sometime early next week to discuss future discipline of the individual or individuals involved.”
Wooer condemned the comments and said the behavior will not be tolerated.
The content that was posted was especially grotesque. The Ticker reported that it assigned point values to spitting on, punching, lynching, and committing other acts of violence against Black people. The player also used the N-word throughout the post.
The incident follows a recent similar case at Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) in which multiple students were investigated both by the school district and the local prosecutor for participating in a racist Snapchat thread.
