A live mic caught a basketball announcer calling students the N-word for kneeling during the National Anthem.
The remark occurred before a Norman High School girls' basketball game versus Midwest City in Oklahoma. Broadcasters from the National Federation of High School Network were heard criticizing the players throughout the above clip.
One commentator can be heard saying "F*** them" and "I hope Norman gets their a** kicked." About 55 seconds into the clip, a commentator says, "F***** n******."
Norman High girls' basketball coach posted the clip on Twitter and wrote, "Hey @NFHSNetwork looks like you forgot to cut the Mic!!! 'F****** N******' is the one that really got me!! Tell us how you really feel!! THIS IS WHY THEY KNEEL!!!"
Norman Public Schools Superintendent Nick Migliorino sent out an email to parents following the backlash from the incident.
"Last night during the Norman High School girls' basketball game versus Midwest City in the Oklahoma 6A State Basketball Tournament, National Federation of High School Network announcers on a live stream broadcast made racist and hateful comments targeted at our Norman High student athletes," Migliorino wrote. "The announcers were contracted by (the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association) for the state tournament."
Migliorino continued by writing that the district "will not tolerate the disgusting words and attitudes" that the announcers displayed.
"We fully support our students' right to freedom of expression and our immediate focus is to support these girls and their coaches and families, particularly our Black students and coaching staff," he wrote. "It is tragic that the hard work and skill of this team is being overshadowed by the vile, malignant words of these individuals."
Source: OU Daily
