Cornell RB Recruit Nate Panza Kicked off Team After Using Racial Slur on Video
Jun 23, 2020
ITHACA, NY - APRIL 27: Cornell Big Red players celebrate on the field following the game against the Princeton Tigers at Schoellkopf Field on April 27, 2019 in Ithaca, New York. Cornell defeated Princeton 14-13. (Photo by Rich Barnes/Getty Images)
Incoming Cornell recruit Nate Panza was reportedly kicked off the football team after a Snapchat video was released online early Sunday morning showing him saying the N-word, according to Kathryn Stamm and Luke Pichini of the Cornell Daily Sun.
Panza says the word offscreen before the video pans to him and he says, "Oh wait, you can't put that one up. You can't post that. Adam, you can't post that."
Panza was referring to Adam Giaquinto, an incoming University of Richmond student and Panza's high school classmate in Morristown, New Jersey, who was filming the video. Giaquinto also used the N-word on the video after saying George Floyd's name.
The school, Morristown-Beard, released the following statement Sunday:
Panza, a running back prospect, released the following statement:
"A video was taken of me using a word that is offensive and hurtful. The word has a long history of cruelty for the black community and is simply wrong. I am heartbroken I have hurt people; those I know and those I do not. I take full responsibility for my actions.
"I do not believe that my language that night aligns with who I have tried to be as a person, the values I live by or the manner in which I have conducted myself as an athlete. My immediate reaction to the video was to reach out to my entire high school community to offer my sincerest apologies."
Richmond said it was investigating the issue:
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We are currently investigating this matter.
Cornell has not yet released an official response.
"I plan to better educate myself on the issues of racism and injustice in America, as I want to be part of the solution and not the problem," Panza also said in the statement. "The label 'racist' is not something I can live with and I will work to prove that every day for the rest of my life. It is my humble hope that I will come out of this incident as a better ally, better friend and better person."
