http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/os-urban-meyer-ohio-state-apologizes,0,1535458.story
Urban Meyer apologizes to LGBT community for slight
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer sent an apology letter to a lesbian and gay advocacy group on campus for his plans to use lavender football jerseys as a form of punishment to players in practice according to 10TV.com and the OSU campus newspaper, The Lantern.
The lavender jersey would be given to a player caught "loafing" - or a moment of deceleration - for the second time during a conditioning drill. The concept was created by Ohio State strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. The school will now use a different color.
From Urban Meyer's apology letter:
"Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the purple mesh pullovers," the letter read. "The use of purple was never intended to be used to offend anyone, but since it has, we have taken steps to change the color.
"Please accept our sincere apologies.
We have core values of respect and honor within our program, and these are two principles that are central to my personal life, my coaching and to Ohio State and its athletics programs.
Bias has absolutely no role in how we think or operate."
The president for the campus LGBT group, Scarlet and Gay, said the group was disappointed in the choice of color for the practice jersey upon learning about it after a Feb. 15 press conference.
"It's more about us standing up for a social justice issue," Scarlet and Gay President Tim Valentine told OSU's campus newspaper, The Lantern.
Valentine added, "Lavender is associated as a feminine color, so it deals with masculinity," Valentine said. "It would appear, if (lavender) was the color (of the mesh shirts), that the coaching team is trying to say, ‘If you are loafing, if you are not performing up to par then you are performing in a feminine way, and so we are going to label you with a color that makes you non-masculine."
Were the OSU lavender jerseys appropriate or inappropriate?
Appropriate. People are overreacting and being too overly politically correct these days.
Inappropriate. It was insensitive and Urban Meyer was right to speak out for change.
Urban Meyer apologizes to LGBT community for slight
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer sent an apology letter to a lesbian and gay advocacy group on campus for his plans to use lavender football jerseys as a form of punishment to players in practice according to 10TV.com and the OSU campus newspaper, The Lantern.
The lavender jersey would be given to a player caught "loafing" - or a moment of deceleration - for the second time during a conditioning drill. The concept was created by Ohio State strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti. The school will now use a different color.
From Urban Meyer's apology letter:
"Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the purple mesh pullovers," the letter read. "The use of purple was never intended to be used to offend anyone, but since it has, we have taken steps to change the color.
"Please accept our sincere apologies.
We have core values of respect and honor within our program, and these are two principles that are central to my personal life, my coaching and to Ohio State and its athletics programs.
Bias has absolutely no role in how we think or operate."
The president for the campus LGBT group, Scarlet and Gay, said the group was disappointed in the choice of color for the practice jersey upon learning about it after a Feb. 15 press conference.
"It's more about us standing up for a social justice issue," Scarlet and Gay President Tim Valentine told OSU's campus newspaper, The Lantern.
Valentine added, "Lavender is associated as a feminine color, so it deals with masculinity," Valentine said. "It would appear, if (lavender) was the color (of the mesh shirts), that the coaching team is trying to say, ‘If you are loafing, if you are not performing up to par then you are performing in a feminine way, and so we are going to label you with a color that makes you non-masculine."
Were the OSU lavender jerseys appropriate or inappropriate?
Appropriate. People are overreacting and being too overly politically correct these days.
Inappropriate. It was insensitive and Urban Meyer was right to speak out for change.