The audacity of the racism running rampant still in almost the year of 2020 is simply unreal to say the least. When David Petersen, a 1966 Penn State graduate in speech pathology was asked for a response to his disgraceful, hate-filled letter to Penn State’s captain about his hairstyle, he says he was unaware that his letter had sparked an outrage via social media.
Penn State player Antonio Shelton tweeted an image of the letter with this message: “One of my teammates got this. Explain to me how this isn’t racist.” Petersen (the obvious (‘racist’), tells reporters by phone that making a racial or cultural statement “was not the intent at all”.
He continues, ” I would just like to see the coaches get the guys cleaned up and not looking like Florida State and Miami guys”.
Penn State Coach James Franklin denounced the ill-mannered letter on Tuesday. “Jonathan Sutherland is one of the most respected players in our program”, the coach said in a news conference. “He’s the ultimate example of what our program is all about. He’s a captain, he’s a dean’s list honor student, he’s confident, he’s articulate, he’s intelligent, he’s thoughtful, he’s caring and he’s committed”.
He continued, “He’s got two of the most supportive parents, and I would be so blessed if my daughters would marry someone with his character and integrity one day.’
See the letter below from a Penn State alum.
By Tuesday, the internet gone berserk and was exploding with comments and reactions to the letter. The tweet had garnered nearly 11,000 retweets and more than 36,000 likes. People are outraged and have certainly clapped back to this racist bigot.
Heres what rapper TI posted on his Instagram this morning:
Killer Mike was the first to comment, saying, “Scorched the earth with that retort. Damn”.
Another commented, Wow the CAUcasity #whodarehim #loclove. Someone else said, “If all the young black athletes and scholars stop attending power 5 schools and Ivy league schools and attend HBCU’s there wouldn’t be any of this happening”.
Someone else commented, “Transfer to a hbcu…”
Since the letter has gone viral, Penn State issued a statement on Twitter: “While we don’t know the source of this letter of the authenticity, obviously its content does not align with our values. We strongly condemn this message or any message of intolerance.”
Sandy Barbour, Penn State’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics, added her own tweeted statement :” I stand with our Penn State student athletes and appreciate how they represent PSU in competition, in the classroom and in the community. Their dress, tattoos, or hairstyle has no impact on my support nor does their gender, skin color, sexuality or religion!”