‘Hateful’ tweet about Stacey Abrams costs college football coach his job

An assistant football coach at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga lost his job after he disparaged Stacey Abrams and the State of Georgia in a Twitter post that perpetuated unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud, officials said Thursday. university.

Coach Chris Malone was in his second season as an assistant and offensive line coach for the Mocs, according to a bio that was removed from the college’s track and field website.

Mr Malone made the derogatory comments about Ms Abrams, a former gubernatorial candidate and former Democratic leader in the Georgia House, on Tuesday night after the run-off of the US Senate elections in Georgia – races won by Democrats which will give them control of the Senate.

“Kudos to GA State and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you really showed America the real works of cheating in an election !!!” Mr. Malone wrote. “Enjoy the Big Girl buffet! You deserved it!!! Hope the money was good, still not the governor!

Mr Malone later deleted the post, but not before others took screenshots of it and shared it widely on social media.

“This tweet was hateful, hurtful and false,” said Steven R. Angle, the chancellor of the university, in a video posted by the university on YouTube on Thursday. “Coach Malone is no longer with this university.”

Mr. Angle said Mr. Malone failed to meet the expectations of faculty and staff at the university to lead in a way that maintains a respectful and tolerant campus environment.

“The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga does not condone and unequivocally condemns discrimination and hatred in any form,” said Angle.

Efforts to reach Mr. Malone were not immediately successful. His Twitter account had been deactivated and no phone number was listed for his address in Chattanooga.

Ms Abrams has been recognized for helping President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. carry the state in November and in the victories of the two Democratic Senate candidates this week. She fought efforts to suppress black voter turnout across the country.

UT-Chattanooga has approximately 12,000 students. The Mocs play at the Southern Conference, which has postponed competition in fall sports, including soccer, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rusty Wright, the university’s head football coach, said in a statement that a member of his team crossed a line with a social media post.

“What has been posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and is not part of who I represent or what Chattanooga Football stands for,” Wright said.