An announcer for an online broadcast of a high school basketball game in Oklahoma was caught directing racist comments toward members of the Norman High School girls basketball team.
The comments were aired on a live microphone as players from Norman kneeled during the national anthem just before the team faced Midwest City in the quarterfinals of the Oklahoma 6A state basketball tournament on Thursday in Sapulpa.
The incident happened when the announcer saw players from Norman kneel during the national anthem. The racist comments were heard on the National Federation of State High School Association Network's live stream broadcast of the game. Per TMZ Sports, the announcer could be heard saying, “They're kneeling? F****** n******. I hope Norman gets their ass kicked. F*** them. I hope they lose. They're going to kneel like that?”
Video of the incident went viral, with several athletes expressing outrage, including free-agent wide receiver Kenny Stills, who last played for the Buffalo Bills.
Amerikkka https://t.co/6fETFv3Qav
— Kenny Stills (@KSTiLLS) March 12, 2021
Another NFL player who took to social media to air his disgust was free-agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, who last played for the Dallas Cowboys.
See why we do it!?! They still think it’s about the flag……….. 🤦🏾♂️✊🏾 https://t.co/WruI6M2bT7
— Gerald McCoy (@Geraldini93) March 12, 2021
After the racist comments went viral, Norman Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Nick Migliorino released a statement addressing the matter, condemning the comments and supporting the students’ right to freedom of expression:
“We condemn and will not tolerate the disgusting words and attitudes of these announcers,” part of the statement read, per Cameron Jourdan of The Oklahoman. “This type of hate speech has no place in our society and we are outraged that it would be directed at any human being, and particularly at our students.”
Norman ended up winning their quarterfinal matchup against Midwest City and will face Tulsa Union in the semifinals on Friday.
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