Longtime Sooners baseball coach resigns following racial slur

nickel · 05-02-2005, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Longtime Sooners baseball coach resigns following racial slur

May 2, 2005
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Longtime Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell resigned Sunday, five days after using a racial slur during off-camera interviews with ESPN.

Cochell submitted a letter of resignation to school president David Boren, who had met hours earlier with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community.

``A good and caring man has made a terrible mistake for which he must assume responsibility,'' Boren said in a statement.

ESPN said Friday that Cochell, who is white, used a slur after praising a freshman outfielder, who is black, during two pre-broadcast interviews Tuesday.

Assistant coach Sunny Golloway was named interim coach.

Cochell, who was 511-336-1 in 14 seasons at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to the College World Series title in 1994, apologized Friday and in his resignation letter.

``As I have said in a public statement, I deeply regret that I carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university,'' Cochell said in the letter released by the school. ``Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people. ... I do not want to be the cause of any person having a mistaken impression about our university.''

Two ESPN commentators preparing for the Sooners' game against Wichita State on Tuesday held separate off-camera interviews with the coach in which he made similar remarks, but weren't aware of that until discussing it a few days later, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said.

ESPN then reported the story Friday.

``We recognize that stories of this nature could have significant repercussions and we took great pains to bring the appropriate sensitivity and balance to our reporting,'' Krulewitz said Sunday.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaabb/news;...v=ap&type=lgns

anybody know what he said?

RIVERWIDOW · 05-02-2005, 01:39 PM

ESPN reported on Fridays edition of Sports Center that Cochell was speaking with Gary Thorne of ESPN in the dugout before a game, when Cochell complimented outfielder Joseph Dunigan who is black on his schoolwork. According to the network, Cochell then told Thorne,"There's no (racial epithet) in him." Then in another pre-game interview w/ Kyle Peterson he repeated it. It is my feelings he was using the N word.

nickel · 05-02-2005, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIVERWIDOW

ESPN reported on Fridays edition of Sports Center that Cochell was speaking with Gary Thorne of ESPN in the dugout before a game, when Cochell complimented outfielder Joseph Dunigan who is black on his schoolwork. According to the network, Cochell then told Thorne,"There's no (racial epithet) in him." Then in another pre-game interview w/ Kyle Peterson he repeated it. It is my feelings he was using the N word.

wtf? if he used that word that easily he must've used it many times in the past as such. i wonder how many times people just looked the other way when he said it before?

cheapie · 05-02-2005, 02:13 PM

i can see accidently saying something racist but dropping the "N" bomb isn't something that you would do twice w/o saying...o.m.g....wtf did i just say???

RIVERWIDOW · 05-02-2005, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapie

i can see accidently saying something racist but dropping the "N" bomb isn't something that you would do twice w/o saying...o.m.g....wtf did i just say???

This guy is 65 years old and has coached for 39 years. How could he not think twice before he said it unless he has done it so many times before (and no one ever said anything.) He has apologized twice saying" I deeply regret that i carelessly used language that is clearly contrary to the basic values of our university." Not HIS values but the schools. That says it all in a nutshell. He is an old redneck who probably drops that word 20 times a day.

DarkFury · 05-02-2005, 04:58 PM

Bend down... turn around... pick a bale of cotton...

Some folks just can't get far enough from the plantation....

whitak24 · 05-02-2005, 05:35 PM

wow. that's a shame that someone in that position is behaving like that.

attgig · 05-03-2005, 08:36 AM

it's a shame that that behavior was condoned for so long, and thus was ingrained in his behavior.

RIVERWIDOW · 05-03-2005, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attgig

it's a shame that that behavior was condoned for so long, and thus was ingrained in his behavior.

When my kids were teens they and all their friend knew , f**k didn't bother me but drop the N word and you were out the door. SOO this was the word my youngest used to get a rise out of me. I just think it is an ugly word.
I even went so far as to make my little smart*ss look it up in the dictionary. It means an uneducated person . Kind of like the coach.

05-02-2005, 01:39 PM	#2
RIVERWIDOW Commander Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Land of fruits and nuts Posts: 1,124	ESPN reported on Fridays edition of Sports Center that Cochell was speaking with Gary Thorne of ESPN in the dugout before a game, when Cochell complimented outfielder Joseph Dunigan who is black on his schoolwork. According to the network, Cochell then told Thorne,"There's no (racial epithet) in him." Then in another pre-game interview w/ Kyle Peterson he repeated it. It is my feelings he was using the N word. __________________ My grandkids are cuter than yours ! Rock on Chargers ! Lets go Padres !! All the way in 2009

05-02-2005, 02:13 PM	#4
cheapie Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: raising my pimp hand strong Posts: 13,038	i can see accidently saying something racist but dropping the "N" bomb isn't something that you would do twice w/o saying...o.m.g....wtf did i just say??? __________________ 70% of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Bob Sanders

05-02-2005, 04:58 PM	#6
DarkFury Secretary of the Navy Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Chillin' N Da 'Hood Posts: 34,997	Bend down... turn around... pick a bale of cotton... Some folks just can't get far enough from the plantation.... __________________ DarkFury's Pimptopia - Don't Hate the Playa, Hate the Game! Home of the Original OG Pimp (accept NO imitations)

05-03-2005, 08:36 AM	#8
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	it's a shame that that behavior was condoned for so long, and thus was ingrained in his behavior. __________________

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05-02-2005, 05:35 PM	#7
whitak24 easily amused Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: my office Posts: 9,781	wow. that's a shame that someone in that position is behaving like that.

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