OU baseball coach resigns over race remarks

[greasywheels121]

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=2051357

 

OU baseball coach resigns over race remarks

Associated Press

 

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma head baseball coach Larry Cochell resigned Sunday, two days after reports surfaced of alleged racial remarks he made during two off-camera interviews to a sports network.

 

The longtime coach submitted a letter of resignation to president David Boren, who had met hours before with athletic director Joe Castiglione and members of the university's black community on the matter.

 

Boren accepted the letter and said Castiglione has designated Sunny Golloway as interim head baseball coach for the rest of the season.

 

ESPN reported on Friday that before a telecast of the Oklahoma-Wichita State game on two of its networks on Tuesday, Cochell used racial epithets as he praised freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan, who is black.

 

The interviews were not taped, and the play-by-play announcer and analyst who conducted them didn't know Cochell had used similar language in both instances until they spoke with each other days later, an ESPN spokesman said.

 

The university, which didn't learn of the remarks until contacted Friday afternoon by ESPN, issued a statement that it was reviewing the matter and that Golloway would assume Cochell's duties on an interim basis. Cochell wasn't in the dugout during Oklahoma's Big 12 Conference series with Nebraska on Friday or Saturday.

 

Cochell, who led the Sooners to a 1994 College World Series victory, issued a statement apologizing for what he said and added that the remarks were not reflective of his own values.

 

He repeated that 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. Those words also created an impression contrary to my own personal values and my respect for all people," the letter released by the university read. "... I do not want to be the cause of any person having a mistaken impression about our university. Therefore I hereby request that I be allowed to resign as head baseball coach of the University of Oklahoma effective immediately."

 

In a statement, Boren said no one took any pleasure in what happened.

 

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

 

Josh Krulewitz, director of media relations for ESPN, said the network initially reported on the story during a Friday evening broadcast, during which Cochell's remarks were shown in a graphic. The interviews weren't taped.

 

The commentators were unaware that Cochell had made similar remarks in their separate pre-broadcast interviews until they discussed it a few days later, Krulewitz said.

 

"Production management was notified of the comments, at which time we decided to report the story," he said.

 

In his statement, Cochell said he was honored to have been the caretaker of the OU baseball program, which he took over in 1991.

 

"I love and respect the University of Oklahoma," Cochell said. "There is not a university in the country that has done more to create a true sense of family based upon mutual respect."

[SoxFan1]

White people can't say the "n-word"

[nitetrain8601]

I actually went to school with Dunigan. Same class and everything. He's pretty damn big. Pretty decent basketball player too. He just needed to work on FT's.

[doUrememberwhen]

White people can't say the "n-word"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Why not? We invented it.