"That's racist!"

If those boys are reinstated, sh!t better hit the fan.

If I'm the coach and they're reinstated, I'm resigning on the spot. If I'm the QB, I'm transferring. Unreal that parents would try to defend the boys.

Parents will defend their kids for almost anything. Also, who do you think they got those ideas from?

they could be suspended, you don't have complete freedom of speech, hazelwood v kuhlmeir


i'll add, if they are part of an extra curricular activity they can be held to high standards, I heard there was something going on in creston, didn't know it was this, it was kept very vague, iowa is open enrollement, he could move to another school, don't think he can during the school year

Absolutely.   Over the fact that you don't get to control who is on your team

Those kids need to be booted off the team immediately. This is a time where a message has to be sent that this type of crap is not tolerated from athletes who are expected to set an example, especially when they have black teammates. If they're somehow reinstated, I'd resign too.

The free speech rights here are complicated. If that picture was targeted at their own QB, even if it's a joke, there are some criminal charges that can be brought. At my college alma mater, we had that idiot in the gorilla mask show up at the BLM protest a while back. He got charged with Civil Rights Intimidation and was expelled from school.

Parents will defend kids for anything. In most cases, they tend to get their way.

Unfortunately, I think race relations in this country are going to get worse before they get better. This is just another example.

I could see how someone could let someone earn their way back in a way I guess. Plus it would lead the kids to potentially misplace the blame on why they were kicked off and cause an escalation.

I personally just don't see how I could play a kid who had done something so stupid.

The statement that I read from at least one kid's parents didn't have them defending their kid at all. They acknowledged that he made a terrible mistake and they are working with him to repair the damage as best he can and learn from it.

I'm 99.99999% sure that none of my sons would do something like that but kids can be absolute morons so I'd never say 100%.  And if one of my kids did that I'd be heartbroken.  I would feel deep down inside that I had failed them as their father but I would not defend their actions.  I would do anything in my power to help my son learn from it and be a better person from it.

If I were the HC I would not want those boys on my team.  I don't associate with people like that and I wouldn't want to coach them.  The flip side is that those kids need men in their lives that will teach them about what it means to be a real man.  Like I said, kids can be total morons.  I grew up without a dad and I cringe when I look back at some of the things I did as a teenage boy, trying to prove how tough I was.  I am absolutely ashamed nearly 30 years later.  Thank God my coaches didn't give up on me.

Just a terrible situation all around.

Given that all but one of the families are filing a lawsuit to get their little angels out of trouble, I would say that any lesson to learn will fall on deaf ears.

The black kid who plays QB (and many other kids on the team and in the school) has stated pretty clearly that he doesn't want those dickbags on the team. Don't you have a responsibility to the good kids who didn't get photographed dressed up as Klansmen?

Both sides need to learn how to handle the situation correctly now, while they are still young, so that the same mistake doesn't happen again.  This is why we keep having cycles of this throughout our country.  No one will confront it and teach that hate is wrong.  It has to stop sometime or it will continue to divided our country.  Sports is one of the only areas where all ethnic groups are accepted.  You can't say that about too many other things.  We have to use our position to teach what is right.

As larrymoe stated, if you think your few hours as a coach can be used to "teach" those beliefs out of the kids... well I just don't see it.  However, I DO believe that you are teaching the vast majority of the guys by saying "F those losers.. anyone who believes that or acts like that are LOSERS, and I don't want to be around losers" by booting them.   I do believe you are teaching the minority ethnic group members on the team and in the community "HEY, those  LOSERS don't represent us.   They are just LOSERS" by booting them off. 

Or the culture that now teaches young white kids that it's cool and "edgy" to be racist dickbags and push buttons to offend people.

They think it's the modern equivalent of smoking pot, listening to offensive music, or growing their hair out.  It's not.

Unfortunately, we're going to see a lot more of this over the next few years.

Kids need limits to teach them where the boundary lies.  There aren't too many people setting those these days.  Clearly the parents aren't, so someone has to.  If they grow up, maybe you let them come out again next year after they apologize to the whole team for actions that embarrassed the group and rightfully upset the minority members, but until then, phuk 'em.

What culture is that? I don't see or hear any of that.

I know there is racism. Just don't see anyone thinking that is cool.

Just haven't come across that, but doesn't mean my kids haven't. Thanks for the heads up.