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Buck Burnette Kicked Off Texas Team For Racist Facebook Comment
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by NowPublic Staff | November 6, 2008 at 11:07 am
29210 views | 21 Recommendations | 130 comments
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University of Texas lineman Buck Burnette has been thrown off the team after he posted a racist message to Barack Obama on his Facebook page.
Brunette updated his Facebook profile status with the following comment:
"all the hunters gather up, we have a #$%&er in the whitehouse"
Longhorns head coach Mack Brown immediately kicked Burnette off the team for "unspecified violations of team rules".
Burnette subsequently wrote an apology.
"Clearly I have made a mistake and apologized for it and will pay for it. I received it as a text message from an acquaintance and immaturely put it up on facebook in the light of the election. Im not racist and apologize for offending you. I grew up on a ranch in a small town where that was a real thing and I need to grow up. I sincerely am sorry for being ignorant in thinking that it would be ok to write that publicly and apologize to you in particular. I have to be more mature than to put the reputation of my team at stake and to spread that kind of hate which I dont even believe in. Once again, I sincerely apologize."
A screencap of Burnette's page can be seen here. His profile states his political views as "Very Conservative" and his religious views as "I Love Jesus". The page has since been taken down entirely.
This marks the second time in as many days that someone in the football world was fired because of something appearing on their Facebook page. New England Patriots cheerleader Caitlin Davis was fired after posting inappropriate photos on Facebook. Those photos later appeared on the popular sports website Deadspin.
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jani dean davis (not verified)
Crowd Power
mr3wan
Austin, Texas, United States
Recommendations (21)
Rhonda J Mangus
North Tonawanda, New York, United States
Sputnic
London, United KingdomAnonymous users (14)
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (130)
at 11:31 on November 6th, 2008
He sounds like a moron
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Fall (not verified)at 17:17 on November 6th, 2008
I AGREE WITH YOU SPUTNIK
at 11:46 on November 6th, 2008
Just like Caitlin Davis. These people have got to stop putting stupid stuff on Facebook.
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Yuliya Talmazanat 12:08 on November 6th, 2008
I wonder if they would have fired him if he had said something similar about Sarah Palin.
at 12:12 on November 6th, 2008
I'm guessing no Yuliya. Unfortunately Racism > Sexism in our society and not Racism = Sexism.
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James Jr (not verified)at 17:09 on November 6th, 2008
I think if he had said something sexist about anyone he would have recived the same punishment. What difference does that matter?
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StillWonderingWhatToEat (not verified)at 12:48 on November 6th, 2008
He deserve to be kicked off. Athletes are a reflection of the team and the school and this nonsense should be called out. He is not a child.
Sadly in some communities they still think it is Jim Crow time. Gathering the Hunters? This idiot knew exactly what he was spouting and unfortunately some of his friends probably share the same sentiment.
As far as a mistake? It took definitive steps to post it. He didn't accidentally post it. He was proud of his stupidity and hate
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ddddddd (not verified)at 19:21 on November 6th, 2008
You do not believe in the 1st amendment then and that is to bad. People have the right to free speech. Obama is not the president and his own party is suing him because they believe he is not even a U.S. citizen.
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kkkkkkk (not verified)at 06:16 on November 7th, 2008
When was the last time you read the paper.
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NYGfan (not verified)at 08:10 on November 7th, 2008
No, YOU don't UNDERSTAND the First Amendment. It doesn't protect you from getting fired from your job or kicked off the university's football team. If you can't bother to comprehend what's in the Constitution, then stop citing it. It's embarrassing to see.
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David2464 (not verified)at 17:55 on November 7th, 2008
This kid had his 1st Amendment rights protected. He wasn't arrested, or sent to Siberia for saying a bad word or even make vailed threats. HOWEVER, the 1st Amendment doesn't protect him from being fired from a job, or kicked off of a football team for being an offensive ass. He got what he deserved.
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A. (not verified)at 20:52 on November 7th, 2008
You're right people do have the right to "Freedom of Speech", but your last statement is totally IGNORANT!! What tabloid are you reading? This was bound to happen one day and that day has been a long coming, but it's finally here. EXCEPT IT -- IT IS WHAT IT IS!!!
"President Barack Obama" our first African American President.........
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Linda B. (not verified)at 04:57 on November 8th, 2008
No, it's NOT finally here..... EXCEPT IT-- IT IS WHAT IT IS!!!...
"PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA" our first "MUTT" president.
In case you haven't heard.... he is HALF WHITE! I hope someday we do
have a TRUE African American president!
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obamahater (not verified)at 14:30 on November 10th, 2008
So much for the races uniteing. I'm glad it isn't a racist statement when its black on white, if you know what I mean. I think jeremiah wright said it best "Our chickens are about to come home to roost." Look out America!
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Sasha Taylor (not verified)at 14:53 on November 11th, 2008
How about dropping that "e" from uniting?
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ladyj2008 (not verified)at 20:57 on November 7th, 2008
your comments are so ignorant and you deserve to live in a cave with other uncivilized animals. Obama is the president-elect and will be the president come january. so deal with it and if you don't like it....get your passport and all of your worldly belongings and head to another country where you won't have to deal with an african-american president.
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change (not verified)at 10:26 on November 8th, 2008
Wow!!! What in Idiot!!! Are you in somone's university getting an education? Aparently not.
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******** (not verified)at 09:38 on November 9th, 2008
You know what i do not normally post on things like this but if you threaten the like of a president or even an elect president is warrant enough for the FBI to get involved rather he is black or white but with that said he is representing the a university by being a football player for that school and no school is going to put up with that kind of publicity..
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lissa Ray (not verified)at 20:50 on November 6th, 2008
Thank you, i agree. How can someone who is in close contact with blacks or "niggers" as he puts it be so racist. I thought that sports was a major event that united the races. You may not like an individual person, but not be hateful of the entire race. As a black person I have personally told off many of my black and lationo and asians friends who use words like "cracker" or "honky". It is wrong no matter who does it. Hate and ignorance is hate and in this day and age has no place in mainstream. I do believe in freedom of speech, and for the most part the word nigger does not offend me because I know that the people who use such language are ignorant, scared or just full of hate. It only concerns me when they act on it. But at the same time, this kind of hate should not be tolerated. He was rightfully kicked off the team. Let him go back to his ranch and hang with ignorant, and hatefilled people who feel and believe what he does.
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Linnie (not verified)at 07:46 on November 7th, 2008
I completely agree, he knew exactly what he was doing and saying...To be completely kicked off the team, i think is a bit harsh, but as others were saying, he should formally apologize for what he did and sit out till next year....And as far as others making remarks about blacks doing things and not being punished, you got it wrong dude..... you got it backwards...
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jani dean davis (not verified)at 12:52 on November 6th, 2008
....only in America can some of his African American team mates (remember last year?) go stick a gun in a persons face while robbing them in their own apartment and still be playing...what Buck did was foolish but not illegal....some kind of punishments our society will cheer for and others ...we just look the other way. I feel for the guy and his family...
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joe bbb (not verified)at 15:33 on November 6th, 2008
you're an idiot! those players that robbed someone in their apartment are off the team and sitting in jail. and you don't have to feel for the guy i'm sure his racist friends will take care of him.
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Don Rogers (not verified)at 04:05 on November 7th, 2008
It's one thing to make the offensive racist remark but another to suggest violence against the president. How can anyone justify these comments? Amazing!!
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JPowers (not verified)at 16:56 on November 7th, 2008
You moron...what he did could have had far worse consequences..he basically was saying that the president of the US should be shot. Which is ILLEGAL.
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april ferguson (not verified)at 17:08 on November 7th, 2008
The people that robbed those people, went to jail and kicked off the team, dumbass...and it is illegal to threaten the president, but that's not even why he got kicked off the team. He made a racial remark over facebook, which yes he has the freedom of speech, but he has a code of conduct to follow when he's a football player because it's a privilege, and they are not allowed to place such things publicly because they're a representation of the Texas football team. If you made a comment like that publicly at work, you can get fired. So same situation here.
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charlietexas (not verified)at 14:07 on November 6th, 2008
ok, what he said was bad...really bad. Stupid. But, kicking him off the team? This team? UT has had many problems in the past two years for players conduct off the field. DUI's, arrests for controlled substances, theft, assault. Even convictions. Most were kept on the team and disciplined. Even a 2nd baseman on the National Championship Baseball team in 02 started in Omaha during his pending trial. He was later found guilty of assault and given probation. He got drafted and is currently in the minor leagues. By the way all of these players are black.
Not so for this white player. His mistake is going to ruin his career. Being kicked off UT is horrible in Texas. It will be a mark on him. It could be a mark on Texas also. This should be a recruiting issue for white players that think about coming to UT. Don't say or even think about something racist. What will be next? Saying something about handicapped people or gays or women? Oh thats right. It doesn't matter if you run for office or play for a NCAA football team. you can say anything as long as you are black. White? Kill him.
It is unfair. I say make him apologize to the team and the University, suspend him for the rest of the year...but no termination.
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mr me (not verified)at 16:09 on November 6th, 2008
your a fool.."you can say anything as long as your are black. White? Kill him"
are you serious ??..do you really believe that...when josh howard said what he said about the american flag he caught the wrath...and when was the last time a black players facebook said "if that cracker mccain win all the hunters gather up"...get real dude
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ddddddd (not verified)at 19:16 on November 6th, 2008
Let me say this again. How come on almost every rapp CD I hear black people calling other black people niggers. I am a white american and I find the double standard absolutely obsurd. When a the ugly evil reverend wright spews hatred does white america go up in arms? NO. We just laugh because the man has a right to freedom of speech. The guy is evil to the core but hides behind his so called church. FREE SPEECH MEANS FREE SPEECH.
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NYGfan (not verified)at 08:12 on November 7th, 2008
Yeah, you poor thing. I know it depresses you that you'll face consequences for directing hate speech at people of color, but you'll just have to learn to cope with it. If not, you could always just crawl back under the rock from whence you came.
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texas fan (not verified)at 15:00 on November 6th, 2008
GOOD FOR MACK BROWN