A football coach at a university in Tennessee was fired for calling Stacey Abrams fat in a tweet and accused the state of Georgia of cheating:
CBS NEWS – The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga fired an assistant coach after he posted a tweet disparaging former Georgia gubernatorial candidate and activist Stacey Abrams, the school announced in a 45-second video.
Chris Malone, who was an offensive line coach for the Mocs, smeared Abrams while peddling election fraud claims in a now-deleted tweet Tuesday night.
“Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!! Enjoy the buffet Big Girl!! You earned it!!! Hope the money is good, still not governor!” he said, according to screenshots of the tweet.
University chancellor Steven Angle condemned his tweet, calling it “hateful, hurtful and untrue” in a video two days later.
“Coach Malone is no longer a part of this university,” Angle said Thursday. “University faculty and staff are expected to lead in a way that achieves and maintains a respectful and tolerant civil campus environment.”
“The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga does not tolerate and unequivocally condemns discrimination and hatred of all forms,” Angle added.
The head coach didn’t like the tweet either:
The team’s head coach, Rusty Wright, also slammed Malone’s tweet Thursday in a statement.
“What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for,” he said. “Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effective immediately, that individually is no longer a part of my staff.”
According to the school’s deleted biography page, Malone was in his second year as an assistant coach on the team. Malone, who has coached at different schools since 1998, had a stint at Virginia State University, an historically Black university.
Cancel culture on full display. I can understand the university disciplining the coach for his remarks. But to fire him for it? That seems a bit ridiculous. It wasn’t like he was calling for a mob to protest her home, or for violence against her. He was just lashing out in a juvenile way like so many do without thinking.