A Tuskegee University football player was captured on video disrupting a halftime show by repeatedly kicking a football over the mostly Black Alabama State University band.
What was meant to be a festive Thanksgiving tradition — the 101st Turkey Day Classic in Montgomery — left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth.
The viral video has sparked outrage among fans and prompted Alabama State University to issue a public statement condemning the kicker’s disrespectful behavior.
According to reports, the offender, Lorcan Ryans from Limerick, Ireland, repeatedly walked into the band’s formation to retrieve his ball, only to launch more practice kicks over the band members’ heads, and it appears at least once, directly at them.
@theandreatarai This was absolutely disgusting on behalf of Tuskegee. HBCU’s are a supposed to be a space for us!! #foryoupage #tuskegee #hbcu #football #fyp ♬ original sound – LATINA🇭🇳
In the video, the crowd can be heard heckling him as he prepares to kick the ball at the color guard during a dance routine. He can be seen flipping someone off out of frame while a woman shouts, “Absolutely not!” and “That is so rude.”
Then, after the half-time show ended, he proceeded to push a band member.
Jason Cable, vice president and director of athletics for Alabama State, denounced Ryans’ behavior in a statement posted on Instagram on November 28.
“The incident involving a member of the Tuskegee football team pushing a member of the Mighty Marching Hornets at the conclusion of halftime was both unacceptable and unwarranted,” Cable said. “It in no way reflects the spirit of healthy rivalry or the character of either historic institution.”
He went on to state that Tuskegee University Vice President Reginald Ruffin reached out to him after the incident, assuring the community, “I am confident that appropriate actions will be taken.”
Parts of the scene were posted to TikTok by HBCU football fan Andrea Tarai and have taken the internet by storm, with the original video amassing 4 million views so far.
Tarai’s caption read, “Tuskegee ought to be ashamed of itself for making this boy feel privileged enough to act this way!! Not to mention a coach watched this happen and didn’t do a thing!”
After alleged accusations that she edited the video to create a “false narrative,” she later posted an unedited three-minute video that, well, speaks for itself.
In the end, Alabama State beat Tuskegee 58-21. But details about a formal reprimand for Ryans from Tuskegee University have not yet been released.
