Currently going viral and stirring outrage online is a clip of a young West Virginia football fan launching a heinous racist insult against a Black fan of a rival team.
The video shows dozens of young college-aged fans at the Backyard Brawl rivalry football game between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers on Sept. 13 at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia.
A young Black fan in a Panthers shirt is seen taunting Mountaineers fans on the West Virginia college campus when he encounters two female WV fans, who are also heard ridiculing their rival team.
In the footage, the young Panthers fan is heard telling one of the women to “fix her makeup.”
In response, the young woman shouts, “Fix your skin color!” while walking away.
The video garnered more than 6 million views on the Snarps YouTube channel, and thousands of comments from many expressing shock at the woman’s vile comment.
“‘Fix your skin color’ is one of the most insane things,” one YouTube commenter wrote.
The young woman, identified as Kailey Sheldon, went on Instagram after the incident went viral to apologize for the remark and claimed there was never “any racist intent” behind what she said.
“I realize how incredibly hurtful, offensive, and unacceptable those words were and it’s one of the most arrogant comments I have ever made,” Sheldon wrote, as seen in screenshots captured by Daily Mail. “Regardless of my intentions, it carried racist undertones, and I take full accountability for saying them. Words matter, and mine caused harm so for that, I am truly sorry.”
The statement continues: “I do want to make it clear though that there was never any racist intent behind what I said. I totally see how my comment may be interpreted and the backlash I’m receiving for it is completely reasonable. With that being said, I hold absolutely nothing against any person of color. The comment I made was a joke just as much as ‘fix your makeup’ was, but I realize commenting on something a person cannot change is far too extreme and it is nothing to joke about.”
Sheldon added that she doesn’t “stand for racism at all” and regrets the pain she caused.
She goes on to share that in the midst of the clip’s widespread circulation, her family has been on the receiving end of some online threats.
“They had absolutely nothing to do with this situation and do not deserve to be targeted. I ask that people direct their criticism and accountability toward me – not them,” Sheldon wrote.
Sheldon stated that she believed the incident “needed to be addressed, rather than brushed off as a casual incident,” and that she “will continue to reflect, learn, and grow from this.”
