Oregon State athlete uses N-word, calls Black people ‘field workers’ in rant
Rocco Carley, the freshman football player, can be heard saying negative statements against Blacks, homosexuals, and Muslims
Oregon State freshman tight end Rocco Carley was dismissed from his football team after an audio recording where he used racist language recently surfaced.
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Oregon State freshman tight end Rocco Carley was dismissed from his football team after an audio recording where he used racist language recently surfaced.
The recording was made when Carley was in high school. In the video, which was posted to Twitter, the freshman football player can be heard saying horrific, racist statements against Blacks, homosexuals, and Muslims.
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“I’d like to get all the Blacks in a chamber, and burn the sh*t out of them,” Carley says.
In the video, Carley sounds as if he is using a southern accent. In an apology post on Instagram, he said that the video was “satire.”
https://open.spotify.com/episode/3ZuyOfTmcLfkxzqMdftiCV
“This video was taken about 3 years ago in a group chat where me and my friends were saying stupid things,” Carley said. “This does not condone anything of what I have said, but I promise to you all that this video does not represent me.”
He goes on to say, “This is no way shape or form makes what I said right. I am truthfully sorry to everyone I have hurt and offended, and I understand that I have not represented me or my family in any positive way during this situation.”
One sportswriter called the apology “lazy,” and a “justification” that may have ended his college football career.
STORY: A racist video from high school cost Rocco Carley his spot at Oregon State. His lazy apology, which read more like a justification for using slurs and offensive language, is why he may have destroyed his college football career in the process. https://t.co/dOLfflJ3S7
— Jake Elman (@JakeElman97) June 4, 2020
Oregon State University head coach, Jonathan Smith, wrote on Twitter that he heard the recording early on Wednesday. He released Carley on Wednesday night. “I immediately shared the audio with (athletic director) Scott Barnes. We both agreed this language and attitude is entirely unacceptable, regardless of circumstance or environment.”
— Jonathan Smith (@Coach_Smith) June 4, 2020
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Smith said that he spoke with Rocco and still dismissed him from the team saying, “I will not tolerate racism or hate speech.”
Oregon State University is a public research institution in Corvallis, Oregon with an enrollment of over 30,000. The university has several elite athletic programs including a national championship baseball team.
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