A California college professor apologized after his wife used the N-word during a drunken argument with a neighbor.
The conflict was filmed by Mikaela Cobb, who claimed Tim and Crystal Ford picked a fight with her because the couple smelled bacon grease coming from her Sacramento apartment, according to The State Hornet. Cobb posted the video on her Facebook page on Friday, May 1.
The video begins with Cobb and an unidentified man chastising Crystal Ford for her behavior. Cobb’s mother told The State Hornet the man with Cobb is her daughter’s boyfriend.
“You guys are throwing around racial slurs for no reason,” Cobb said. “No one did anything to you.”
Cobb also accused the Fords of “always starting stuff.” Cobb’s boyfriend noticed Crystal Ford appeared to be intoxicated and asked if she were okay.
“You look like you’re going in and out of it,” the man said. “Are you 100 percent here with me right now?”
Crystal Ford, who was using slurred speech and swaying, responded with name calling.
“I see you right there. I see your b—h right there recording me,” she said. “I see you n—a, I see you.”
“You look ridiculous,” Cobb’s friend replied.
Tim Ford intervened when the man told his wife she was “50 years old” while chastising her behavior. Crystal Ford said the N-word again while Tim Ford went back and forth with Cobb and her boyfriend.
“I’m a professor at Sac State, dude,” Tim Ford told the pair. “I have a Ph.D. I don’t need to be dealing with s–t like this.”
The argument continues for a few moments before Tim Ford throws his beer at Cobb’s window while his wife continues to fuss. The video was originally posted on Cobb’s Facebook page, but it went viral after it was reposted on Reddit and other social media pages. Cobb eventually deleted the video, but copies are floating around the internet. Outraged viewers called for Tim Ford’s firing and a petition started by a student received more than 1,000 signatures.
The subsequent backlash made its way back to Sacramento State President Robert S. Nelsen, who called the video “very disturbing.”
“I am deeply offended by the language in the video,” Nelsen said in a statement on Friday. “Racial epithets are repulsive and unacceptable. Personally, I am incredibly upset by the contents of the video and the harmful impact that it is having on our campus community.”
Nelsen said the university is investigating the incident and would not publicly comment on it again.
Jonathan Stein, the couple’s attorney, issued an apologetic statement on Friday.
“While we have had ongoing difficulties with one of our neighbors, there is no situation that warrants the use of racially charged words and we sincerely apologize for the behavior exhibited during this confrontation,” the couple said.
The statement added Crystal Ford checked herself into a rehabilitation facility.
“My wife used some language that was unacceptable and does NOT represent my way of thinking. She recognizes the hurt and anger that she has caused and regrets it,” the statement continued. “Today, she is seeking help and has checked herself into a hospital for alcohol and drug abuse.”
