Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin Receives Racist Hate Mail From Fan
Kevin Sumlin has the hottest seat in all of college football right now. In his sixth year as head coach for the Aggies, Sumlin’s best record came in his first season. That’s when A&M finished 11-2 with a Cotton Bowl victory to inaugurate the Sumlin era. Since then, he has struggled. Sumlin’s teams are notorious for looking unbeatable in September and October, then falling apart come November.
Saturday night, the Aggies fast-forwarded from September to November in a little over three hours. Texas A&M’s defense looked top tier in the first half against UCLA. They were able to contain elite quarterback Josh Rosen for most of the game. Sumlin’s team entered halftime with a 38-10 lead. That lead soon grew to 44-10 after A&M tacked on two field goals in the third quarter.
It wasn’t until there was 2:06 left in the third quarter that Rosen and the Bruins started to mount a comeback. Texas A&M had struggled to find a passing game all night, however, they were able to move the ball on the ground. UCLA put a stop to that in the second half.
Hey remember when Texas A&M brought out a scepter after going up big on UCLA?
… lol pic.twitter.com/ca5rIEtYNJ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 4, 2017
Rosen, a shift in momentum, and a little luck were all key factors in UCLA executing the second largest comeback in college football history. For one fanbase the feeling was pure ecstasy, however, for another it was downright demoralizing.
College football is a game that’s filled with emotion. From gameday traditions to the game played on the field, people burst with excitement. Sometime that excitement can go too far. Far enough to distort our actual perception of the game itself. One football fan went too far this week.
Thursday night Sumlin’s wife, Charlene Sumlin, broke news on twitter that her husband had received a racist letter from a belligerent fan.
People of 2017: please tell me how any part of this is ok. And to the sender: did it occur to you that a child may open it?#orelseWHAT? pic.twitter.com/Co1s2Hb94r
— charlene sumlin (@courshel) September 7, 2017
Mrs. Sumlin is right. How does a coach’s record justify calling him a racial slur? That is something that can’t be justified.
Sumlin has been under all sorts of scrutiny over the past week. A member of the Texas A&M board of regents called for his firing on Facebook of all places.
It’s good to know that even in such a dark situation the Sumlins are not showing fear. It took courage to post such a negative letter on twitter.
[Featured Image by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]
