After much backlash, officials at Albany State University an HBCU, is apologizing and revoking their scholarship offer from an all-star white player for using the N-word. Marcus Stokes received a scholarship to play at The University Of Florida but lost it singing demeaning lyrics to a hip-hop song. He was then picked up by Albany State but now school officials are revoking the scholarship. In a lengthy apology, school officials released this statement in part:
“I didn’t uphold the Ramily standard that I know you expect. Please know that my decision to speak with a student that did not meet your expectations was unacceptable. I only wanted the best for our team, athletes, and institution when I invited the student to visit ASU.”
According to his Twitter, Stokes has since received interest from another HBCU, Alabama A&M, and West Florida.
Blessed to receive my first Division 1 HBCU offer from Alabama A&M University @Jaymai18 @AamufbR @Andrew_Ivins @CoachDrafts @NeaseFTBL @6pointsjax @denny_thompson pic.twitter.com/uB1vFi4Zcf
— Marcus “JOKER” Stokes🃏 (@marcusstokes06) January 26, 2023
I don’t condone anyone using that word, but at the same time hip-hop is music enjoyed by athletes of all ages and while he should have used better judgment repeating the lyrics to the song in a video, that’s not a good reason to stop his education and opportunities. Let him learn from his mistake, and move on.