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The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga announced the firing of offensive line coach Chris Malone on Thursday after he posted a racist tweet directed toward political activist and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate for the Democratic Party Stacey Abrams.
Chattanooga athletic director Mark Wharton and head coach Rusty Wright released the following statements regarding Malone's dismissal:
In a tweet that has since been deleted, Malone referred to Abrams, who is Black, as "Fat Albert" in a reference to a Black, male cartoon character. He also accused her of "cheating in an election," as seen in the screenshot provided by Shon Gables of CBS 46:
Abrams served in Georgia's House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017 and was the minority leader from 2011 to 2017 before leaving to focus on her campaign for governor.
Although Abrams lost the gubernatorial campaign to Republican Brian Kemp, she has remained a hugely influential political figure in Georgia.
Abrams is credited with playing a big role in flipping Georgia from red to blue in Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
She also campaigned for Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff in the Georgia Senate runoff. Both Warnock and Ossoff won, meaning the Senate is a 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans.
Since Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will break any ties, the Senate is now essentially in control of the Democrats.
Malone spent the past two seasons at FCS Chattanooga after three years as the offensive line coach at Old Dominion. He previously coached at Virginia State, James Madison, VMI and UMass.
Before his coaching career, Malone was a four-year starter at offensive guard at Virginia Tech in the 1990s.
The XFL's inaugural reboot season only began last month, but the innovative league is already making an impression.
Citadel head coach Brent Thompson told Jeff Hartsell of the Post and Courier on Monday that his team will be implementing the XFL's kickoff format for its 2020 spring game Saturday.
"The last two weeks I've been watching the XFL, and I really liked a couple of aspects of it," Thompson said. "One thing I really like is the kickoff. During a spring game, you don't usually do a kickoff, because it can be a dangerous play. But the way the XFL does it is pretty safe, and it was a chance to get a special teams play executed."
The league's official website explains the kickoff rule:
"The kicker kicks from the 30-yard line and must kick the ball in the air and in play between the opponent’s 20-yard line and the end zone The coverage team lines up on the return side 35-yard line and the return team lines up on the 30-yard line. Each team must have exactly three players outside the hash marks on both sides of the ball and cannot move until the ball is caught by the returner."
Thompson also disclosed that quarterback Brandon Rainey and linebacker Willie Eubanks III will serve as head coaches and draft players to make up the two teams for the spring game.
According to the program's official website, the game's first half will feature a normal format before using a running clock in the second half.
The annual Blue-White game will be at Summerall Field on Citadel's campus in Charleston, South Carolina, while the team's normal home, Johnson Hagood Stadium, is undergoing turf installation.
