Bruce Pearl thinks you’re a racist

Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl.

Tennessee basketball coach Bruce Pearl took a shot at Tennessee fans in Grainger County by implying that they are full-fledged members of the Ku Klux Klan and that they talk like Forest Gump.  It’s not like we have a problem with stereotypes down here in the South, right?  If it’s not the Beverly Hillbillies, it’s got to be somebody else making us relive Reconstruction through the eyes of the rest of the nation.  Because as revisionist history shows, the South is the only place where racism existed… ever. Right?

Wrong.

As a Southerner, born and raised, I hate the stereotypes we’re stuck with.  I’m sure at times we deserve them, but we don’t deserve to have a head coach at a fine Southern institution rip his own fan base by calling them racists.

Click here to access the video at WBIR’s website.  Another oops for a Tennessee head coach because of his mouth.

Hey Bruce, Boston schools were ORDERED desegregated in 1974- not at the end of the Civil War as you would probably guess.  Why don’t you read this… Hmm, sounds pretty racist to me.  And that’s just the easiest read I found on a quick Google search.

Pearl threw his fans under the bus with his comments.  He threw a fan base that gave him a free pass on his failures as a husband under the bus.

To be fair, Pearl apologized in a written statement:

“This morning while speaking at a private kick-off event for a great organization that benefits many local charities, I made a statement in jest to describe the diverse group our staff recruits year-in and year-out. Unfortunately while I was trying to excite the crowd and encourage employees to give, I made an inappropriate joke. I certainly did not intend to offend anyone and I apologize to everyone, especially the people of Grainger County.”

“In no way am I trying to justify what I said, but I’m disappointed that the focus has been placed on me rather than the charities I was there to help. My only hope is that the visibility of this mistake will encourage those who can to give to those in need during these difficult times.”

That’s great, but we need a more personal apology Bruce.  Apologize to the fans personally and don’t hide behind a PR professional.