You knew at some point former Oklahoma football head coach Barry Switzer was going to be given an opportunity to speak his mind about the recent story regarding a racist video connected to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter in Norman. As the university’s leadership took actions to shut down the fraternity on campus and current head coach Bob Stoops joined his players in an on-campus protest and demonstration, Switzer came to the defense of the chapter as a whole, stating the entire chapter should not have to be punished for the acts of a few captured and shared on video.
“I understood that supposedly they were called bigots that lived in this house, none of them could live on this campus. I haven’t seen the interview, but if that happened and occurred, that’s no different from what those kids did on that bus,” Switzer told KOCO in Oklahoma City.“Throw a blanket over these kids that are here and say that they’re bigots? That’s unacceptable.”
According to The Dallas Morning News, Switzer is an honorary member of SAE. Switzer also says he has never heard the racist chant before seeing the video of fraternity members chanting it on a bus.
“It hurts me because I have a vested interest in this. I am an SAE and I know the kids in this house,” Switzer said. “I spend some time over here and I know what they’re like. Hey, I wouldn’t put up with that crap either and they don’t either and they don’t believe in it.”
While this story is not directly tied to the Oklahoma football program, it has led to at least one player on the recruiting trail taking a step back for now. Four-star 2016 Texas offensive tackle Jean Delance announced his decision to decommit from Oklahoma, which quickly led to current Sooners looking to repair the damage supposedly done. The sad fact is racism exists just about anywhere you look. Unbelievable as it may be in the year 2015, this is not just an Oklahoma problem. If anything, the leaders in place at Oklahoma should be applauded for the handling of this story, including Stoops with the football team.