EAST Interview: Kat Murph of Vertallee Letterpress
The Longhorns are now short one man after backup center Buck Burnette was kicked off the team by Mack Brown himself yesterday.
Burnette, self-described as being "very conservative" in his beliefs, was so confounded by Obama's victory on Tuesday night that he immediately logged on to Facebook and updated his status with his take on the results. His stance?
That hunters should get their guns.
Less than twenty four hours later, after a veritable shitstorm of outrage spread far and wide across the internets, Buck, who'd attempted to assuage the masses by posting an apology note, was kicked off the football team for "violating team rules." The facebook account has since been taken offline.
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what a douche
well said. Kudos to Mack Brown.
Shameful.
I guess the first amendment isn't valid anymore? It was a terrible thing to say, of course, but the punishment does not fit the crime.
I'm assuming Bramley, shooter & Kristina have never said or written anything they later regretted. Congratulations.
For the rest of us, I don't think it's fair to revoke his scholarship for this when other players get 1-game suspensions for DWI's. He wrote (or posted) something stupid, then apologized. Mack overreacted.
Wow. I'm pretty torn on this and can see both sides. I suppose he DID violate the rules, but the punishment DOES seem a bit severe.
Glad I graduated and can usually say what I want.
I regret my previous submission
You have someone suggesting death and promoting racism; Consequences would be different if he voiced his opinion without hints of assassination.
WAKE UP!
That headline is going to win a Pulitzer.
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights defines freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference." It does not define it as the right to hold opinions without consequence.
UT football players are free to say whatever boneheaded things they want to say, and every other person on the planet is free to react to those statements. Maybe the punishment was harsh, but the promotion of racial violence and hatred is going to get a much different reception from your teammates than a DUI will. Mack Brown may actually be protecting this guy by getting him away from the field.
Knowing someone who used to play football for Mack Brown, he's no nonsense. NCAA had their GPA requirements for playing football; Mack Brown's was higher.
When Ramonce Taylor's grades weren't high enough, he was suspended until he could get them back up. When he got into some drug charges during this suspension, he was immediately kicked off the team.
That's fine, we don't need to like how Miami used to be, or Virginia Tech - before they cleaned up their image. At least if they screw up once in the NFL, they can always find a home with the Cowboys :P.
I giggle at the comments about freedom of speech here. Encouraging the assassination of a federal official? That's serious business, folks. It's not anything even close to a DUI.
Seth
Let me correct that last comment-- It's not anything even close to a DUI unless you're driving a stolen mail truck drunk.
Seth
To reference the First Amendment regarding this is absurd. A football team is not the Federal Government - it's not like he got tossed in jail for saying this. There is no law saying a football team has to keep a player on their roster no matter what they say.
And no, Mack did not over-react. Having someone representing his organization make comments like that mere days after an event that is being considered one of the most significant elections in history is not the kind of attention he wants right now. Especially after losing a #1 ranking and trying to run the table and play for the conference championship and a BCS bowl bid.
Yes, people make mistakes. Still, God forbid there be any idea that there may be negative repercussions for people who won't or can't think before they speak.
I will go ahead and stand by my original post even though I have certainly written and said things I later regretted in my lifetime. It was shameful. The two are unrelated.
There is no constitutional right to be on the UT football team. He broke the rules. If Mack Brown has rules against DUI's, offenders should be punished. If you don't agree with his rules on DUI's, complain about that. The fact is, a significant number of my friends believe that Obama will not survive his first term. I pray they are wrong. Disagree with his policies all you want, malign his character and his personal behavior if you must, but if you threaten to kill him - sorry, I have no sympathy. That is unacceptable, contemptible, and illegal behavior.
My guess is that he grew up in a small town where all his friends made comments like that as a matter of course.
He has probably even saluted a "hanging tree" or two in his lifetime to be funny.
To the people defending him, I would really like you to research through movies, books, and newspapers etc the horror that was lynching in our country. Of course we have all said things that we regret, but to publicly suggest violence on a black person in this state is reprehensible. I wonder how the Byrd family from Jasper would take this. It wasn't that long ago that James Byrd was brutally killed dragged behind a pick-up truck. This football player didn't make just any comment. He promoted a hate crime. Since there are black players on the team this is a potentially dangerous situation. Like everyone else said, if he were to stay on it would put the Longhorns in a bad light.
Perhaps the Aggies will take him. I'm pretty sure my old college would take him. Sad, huh?
I have not read the original comment, but is it possible that it was a poorly worded gun control statement?
No, the statement was not in the least bit about gun control. From what I have heard/read, it was, to paraphrase "Grab your guns boys, we've got a (insert derrogatory term for an African-American which references a furry woodland creature that looks like it's wearing a mask) in the White House."
He did apologize, but only because someone berated him for saying such an offensive thing. The fact that he didn't know any better on his own is the disgusting part.
Good on ya, Mack. You did the right thing. And to Buck, way to be on the wrong side of history!
I still feel regret, lots of regret
If his comment could be read as anything other than threatening the life of our President-elect, I doubt Mack Brown would have kicked him off the team. It sounds like he also accepted the punishment and is not trying to argue that it was some sort of gun control statement. If that is the case, I applaud him for taking personal responsibility for his actions.