Taken by fellow high school players, the video shows just how far we have to go in the quest for tolerance and racial equality.
A video making the rounds on social media has prompted an investigation at Moline High School. In the video, a black football player is threatened and told to sit in a locker full of banana peels or (otherwise) his legs will be broken. Shouts of “‘Yeah!” are heard when the player complies.
The Quad-City Times reported that Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said detectives “conducted interviews all day on Saturday with multiple student-athletes, coaches, and staff of Moline High School,” and that they “have identified all the athletes who were involved in the incident and the circumstances surrounding the video.” Gault also told the press that “those involved are fellow high school football teammates.”
The unidentified player issued a written statement about the incident. “I love the football team I’m on, and they’re good guys. I know that personally. I talked to the people involved individually, and they apologized. We had a heartfelt talk about it, and I told them how I felt. So please don’t harass, bully, or threaten them at all.”
The racist video is another example of the hate that is sweeping the country. Racism in any form or situation is wrong and shouldn’t be tolerated.
