A Major League Soccer coach has resigned his position after being heard singing the n-word in a song, in his team’s locker room.
FC Cincinnati head coach Ron Jans resigned, Tuesday, after a player filed a complaint with the Major League Soccer Players Association claiming that Jans used the offensive word in front of team members, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
Jans fully admitted to using the word but said that he did not direct the word toward anyone and that he was just singing the lyrics to a rap song.
The coach apologized unreservedly for the incident.
“That has never been a question for me. If I hurt feelings, even if it was clumsy and not with bad intentions, I really apologize,” Jans told the paper. “That has never been a question, so, I don’t feel guilty, but I really apologize if I hurt feelings.
“I wouldn’t have sung the word, that’s for sure. I learned that lesson,” he added. “But I am who I am, and if it doesn’t fit in this locker room, I think for a lot of players it was a good match and sometimes an excellent match but not with all of them.”
Jans, who has only been head coach since August, resigned his position calling his tenure with the team “a great book with a very bad last chapter.”
Still, some players also said that Jans blurted out insensitive comments about slavery during a team trip to the nation’s capital.
Jans was initially suspended for the incident, but club president Jeff Berding soon announced that an investigation showed that things “emerged” about Jans.
“As Major League Soccer’s investigation unfolded and some themes emerged, Ron offered his resignation, and we agreed that it was the best course of action for everyone involved with FC Cincinnati,” Berding said in a statement.
“We place the utmost importance on a strong culture within our club, beginning in our locker room, and that every person connected with FC Cincinnati feels valued, respected, and trusted,” the statement continued.
“Racial and cultural diversity is a major part of what makes the game of soccer so special, and we place the highest priority on respecting every person involved in our game,” the statement added. “This includes absolutely everyone associated with our club, from our locker room and front office, all the way through to our fans.”
For the second time in his stint with the team, Yoann Damet will act as the interim coach.
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