Four players of the Louisiana-Lafayette football team were suspended by their coach for participating in a video denigrating president-elect Donald J. Trump.
Singing the words “F**k Donald Trump,” to the tune of a rap song by YG and Nipsey Hussle, the four demonstrated behavior unacceptable to head coach Mark Hudspeth.
“I am obviously disappointed in a few of our players’ immature behaviors that they demonstrated in the locker room,” said the 48-year-old coach who has led the way for the Ragin’ Cajuns since 2010. “We do not condone that type of behavior. It is not an example of our entire team. It does not represent our entire team.”
The video first came to light on Thursday, two days after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election. Ironically, despite their supposed outrage, Hudspeth indicated that some of the players didn’t even take the time to vote. They “did not have a dog in the hunt,” he remarked.
ULL’s official statement from athletic director Scott Farmer reads:
Recently, a video showing a small group of student-athletes acting inappropriately was recorded and shared on social media. This video in no way represents the views and values of the Ragin’ Cajuns Football program, the Athletics Department or the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Like many of you, we are disappointed in the actions of these student-athletes. Coach Hudspeth recognized the severity of the situation and does not condone their behavior. He acted swiftly to discipline those involved and continues to educate the team on how their actions are a reflection of the name on the front of their jerseys.
Alumni and fans inundated the the University’s Facebook page with negative feedback for the way Hudspeth and the University handled the disgraceful incident. “An already dwindling fan base just got thinner,” Marty DeRoussel reacted. “What a shame for our University and community. While I agree that no one should attack these kids for poor judgement (we’ve all made stupid choices) I am appalled at Coach Hud’s response where he puts partial blames on one political party’s supporters. Just a terrible statement to convey.”
Another wrote, “Sorry Coach… Your response was not deplorable enough. My household will no longer support UL Football.”
According to Sports Illustrated, it is unknown who released the video.
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