Texas A&M lost their season-opening game Sunday at UCLA in spectacular fashion. The Aggies blew a 34-point, third-quarter lead, and because they are coached by Kevin Sumlin, a black man, it didn’t take long for the #MAGA crowd to call for his job and send racist emails to his home.
On Thursday afternoon, Sumlin’s wife, Charlene, tweeted a photo of one of the letters she received, which stated: “You suck as a coach! You’re a nigger and can’t win! Please get lost! Or else,” ESPN reports.
“People of 2017: please tell me how any part of this is ok,” Charlene Sumlin tweeted. “And to the sender: did it occur to you that a child may open it? #orelseWHAT?”
ESPN notes that the letter did contain a return address that corresponds to the Houston Country Club. The site did not report whether the letter was actually sent from the country club or whether anyone had been questioned.
One of Sumlin’s daughters, Shelby, who is a student at Texas A&M, also tweeted about the disturbing letter that was sent to her father: “Imagine being a kid & reading this bs abt your dad. Things ‘fans’ say gets taken personal by more than just the coach. Humanity isn’t hard.”
Sumlin himself noted that the loss was a difficult one for fans to digest and added: “I’m not in the business of really paying attention to anything outside this program, or comments good or bad. My focus is on what we can do to be better. I don’t really have time to get involved in things that are said about the program or about me.”
Texas A&M President Michael Young and athletic director Scott Woodward released a statement calling the letter “disgusting and threatening,” ESPN reports.
“There is no excuse for hatred and, as a community, we will not allow the ignorance of some to intimidate any member of our community,” the statement viewed by ESPN read. “On behalf of all Aggies, our thoughts are with Coach Sumlin and his family, and we will do all that we can to ensure their safety. We are working with law-enforcement authorities to bring the sender of this letter to justice. We stand with the Sumlins and will not accept this inexcusable act of hate.”
Texas A&M University police are handling the investigation and did not respond to ESPN’s request for comment.
Read more at ESPN.
