A Texas school superintendent apologized Monday after realizing he publicly posted a racist comment on Facebook, thinking it was private.
Onalaska ISD Superintendent Lynn Redden said he thought he was responding to a private message from a friend but somehow posted it where other users could see it, according to The Houston Chronicle. His comment came in response to an article about the Texans NFL team’s recent loss to the Tennessee Titans, which Redden blamed on quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Screenshot courtesy of Chron.com.
“That may have been the most inept quarterback decision I’ve seen in the NFL,” he wrote. “When you need precision decision, making you can’t count on a Black quarterback.”
Redden said he quickly deleted the comment after he realized it was a public post. It was too late, however, as Spring resident Matt Ericksen had already snapped screenshots of the superintendent’s post.
Speaking to Chron.com, Ericksen said he doesn’t have children in the school district but wanted to bring attention to what he saw as a blatantly racist comment.
“It’s important to make sure horrible words are met with consequences, especially for those in powerful positions with influence,” he told the paper.
Since the debacle, the Texas educator said he regrets his actions and acknowledged how some might consider his remark as racist. He insisted the disparaging post wasn’t meant to come off that way.
“Over the history of the NFL, they have had limited success,” Redden told Chron.com of Black NFL quarterbacks.
History begs to differ. The New York Post pointed out that in 1988, Doug Williams became the first African-American quarterback to lead his team to a championship, sealing a victory for the Washington Redskins over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. More recently, Seattle Seahawks star Russell Wilson became the second Black quarterback to win it all in 2014, defeating the Denver Broncos in his second season in the league.
So far, Redden said he hasn’t faced any discipline for his remark.
“I wish it had never been posted,” he said, adding that he hopes none of his students saw the post.
