A high school football announcer has been fired following a racially insensitive comment made during the most recent Christ Church Episcopal School game on Friday against Riverside. Per a report by Peyton Furtado of WIS-TV, the announcer compared HBCU students who attend South Carolina State University to criminals in the unspecified comments a day before South Carolina State traveled to face top-25-ranked South Carolina.
Christ Church Episcopal School via David Padilla, the head of Christ Church Episcopal School, released a statement condemning the comments per WIS-TV, saying, “We do not tolerate such comments. And we are taking action to ensure that that never happens again. I extend my apologies to the entire South Carolina State University community. I spoke this morning with Col. Alex Conyers, the president of South Carolina State, to express my regret at what happened. To assure him that this is not reflective of our values and beliefs.”
South Carolina State University also responded to the incident via a statement, saying, “South Carolina State has stood for excellence, dignity and opportunity for nearly 130 years. Our expectation is always that our students, alumni and institution be treated with respect, and we appreciate CCES leadership's immediate and decisive steps to address this matter. We are focused on moving forward in a spirit of understanding.”
This was the second such racially insensitive incident that occurred regarding HBCUs this weekend. A highly disrespectful social media post surfaced online on Friday morning before the Jackson State vs. Southern Miss football game. The post, shared in the Southern Miss fan group “Eagle Post,” outlined offensive “rules” aimed at JSU fans attending the game.
The post came from an account named “Rye Stanford,” which was deleted after facing backlash from fans of both Jackson State and Southern Miss. The account seemed newly created, with only a few public photo posts. While it joined the “Eagle Post” group on September 16, 2023, the profile offered no details about the user's workplace, education, or relationships.
Jackson State and Southern Miss's presidents released a joint statement of unity prior to the game in the hopes of urging fans to be respectful.
