[ad_1]
The University of Ottawa said it had “reluctantly” accepted coach Casey Jamerson’s resignation after Jamerson allegedly made racist remarks about a black cheerleader who subsequently been removed from the team.
Cheerleader Talyn Jefferson said she was kicked from the cheering squad earlier this month due to her hairstyle and an incident between her and Jamerson in practice. Jefferson, 20, told the Kansas City Star in an interview that she stood up for herself after Jamerson made comments about her hair in training.
“I got fired because I was defending myself against the coach’s micro-aggressive comments about me, which made me and the others very uncomfortable,” Jefferson told The Star.
“Instead of the university addressing the fact that the comments were irrelevant and made me uncomfortable and that the coach should have apologized, their solution was to fire me instead.
Jamerson has denied all of the allegations against her. The University of Ottawa is a small Christian school located in Ottawa, Kansas, a city about an hour southwest of Kansas City.
What the cheerleader said happened
A friend of Jefferson’s posted Jefferson’s version of the story via a text message to Twitter on January 16. In her message to her friend, Jefferson said Jamerson told her she needed to take her beanie off. Jefferson then told Jamerson that she had to keep him on to keep her braids of hair from hitting her teammates.
“From there she tells me I’m using my hair as an excuse. I told him I would rather not talk about it anymore because you don’t understand. That’s all I said, ”Jefferson wrote to his friend. “Of the [Jamerson] got very angry and hostile and she started throwing her hands [and] said “I don’t understand! I understand! I do black hair! I am a cosmetologist. I lived with a black girl for five years, I understand what it’s like to have hair like that! ”
Jefferson then said that Jamerson said his hair was an obstacle to his performance of joy and “not collegial.” Jamerson also allegedly told him to “put the f ***” out of practice and accused Jefferson of “talking shit”.
The school told The Star last week that Jefferson’s hairstyle had nothing to do with why she was no longer on the team. Jefferson had been on the cheerleading team for over two years. Jamerson was in his first year as the team’s cheers coach.
University: ‘No violation’ of school protocols
Ottawa said in its statement on Saturday that no wrongdoing had taken place and accused false information on social media and “certain media” of amplifying tension between Jamerson and Jefferson. A school spokesperson previously called the incident between the two “regrettable.”
“The University’s Compliance Office conducted a thorough investigation which included, but not limited to, reviewing statements made by Coach Jamerson and the student, confidential interviews with students and other staff present and reviewing video footage. said the school. “Based on the investigation, the university concluded that no violation of university policy had occurred.
“As a result of false and misleading information subsequently posted on social media and then picked up by some media, Coach Jamerson has been the victim of unhappy vitriol, harassment and threatening comments online, by email and over the phone. . Some of the threats were serious enough that coach Jamerson was forced to warn legal authorities.
The Lawrence, Kansas Police Department said Jamerson filed a police report on Jan. 22 regarding the harassment she received online. A department agent told The Star that none of the harassments Jamerson reported to the department directly threatened his life.
School president Dr Reggies Wenyika said in the statement Jamerson’s decision to step down was a “selfless act” and that she cared too much for the team to continue as a coach. Jamerson said in the statement that she was going to be a permanent distraction for the school if she continued in her current role.
“As I reflect on the events of the past three weeks, I can only conclude that my future participation in the program will likely continue to be a distraction for the team, our coaching and track staff, and other members of the team. the OU community, ”Jamerson says. “I don’t want this for anyone involved. My colleagues and I have built a program that we are very proud of. Leaving now, it is my deepest desire that the OU incentive program, in particular its student-athletes, continues to grow and flourish. “
Learn more about Yahoo Sports:
[ad_2]
Source link