Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin’s team blew a 34-point lead Sunday in a game against UCL, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok, File)
HOUSTON (AP) — Texas A&M and law enforcement officials were investigating Thursday night after football coach Kevin Sumlin received a racist and threatening letter at his home.
His wife, Charlene Sumlin, posted a picture of the letter , which had a return address in Houston, on Twitter on Thursday night. The handwritten letter read: “You suck as a coach! You’re a [racial epithet] and can’t win! Please get lost! Or else.”
On the post, Charlene added: “People of 2017: please tell me how any part of this is OK? And to the sender: did it occur to you that a child may open it?” At the end of the post, she added #orelseWHAT?
Later on Thursday night, Texas A&M President Michael Young and athletics director Scott Woodward issued a joint statement condemning the letter and adding that they are “working with law enforcement authorities to bring the sender of this letter to justice.”
The statement said that they were doing everything they can to ensure the safety of Sumlin and his family.
“There is no excuse for hatred and, as a community, we will not allow the ignorance of some to intimidate any member of our community,” the statement continued.
On Sunday night in Los Angeles, Texas A&M squandered a 34-point third-quarter lead in a season-opening loss to UCLA. That loss led to waves of criticism directed at the coach. Noteworthy among those critics was university system regent Tony Buzbee, who took to Facebook to express his displeasure with Sumlin.
“Our players were better tonight,” Buzbee, a Houston attorney wrote Sunday night after the stunning loss. “Our players were more talented tonight. But coaches were dominated on national TV, yet again. I’m only one vote on the Board of Regents, but when the time comes, my vote will be that Kevin Sumlin needs to GO. In my view, he should go now. We owe it to our school and our players. We can do better.”
The Aggies will host Nicholls State on Saturday night.
The 53-year-old Sumlin, the first black head football coach at A&M, has three years and $15 million left on his contract that runs through the 2019 season.
