Vanderbilt DB Coach Dan Jackson Taking 'Step Back' After Post Defending Kanye West

Vanderbilt defensive backs coach Dan Jackson will be away from the football team while the university conducts an internal review of a recent post Jackson made on Facebook in support of rapper Kanye West.

According to ESPN, Vanderbilt athletic director Candice Lee said the following about the situation:

"It is important the university follow its standard process and conduct a thorough review of the complexities of this incident. Coach Jackson and I have agreed that he will step back from his responsibilities with the team during the Equal Opportunity and Access office's review."

West, who is now known as Ye, made multiple antisemitic comments on social media and elsewhere, including amplifying the conspiracy theory that Jewish people wield outsized control in the media. As a result, Adidas terminated its relationship with West, and he had his accounts suspended on both Twitter and Instagram.

In the wake of the punishments, Jackson wrote on Facebook that West is "two steps ahead of everyone else."

Jackson offered an apology Friday night on Twitter and said he is opposed to antisemitism:

After apologizing, Jackson was allowed to coach in the 3-6 Commodores' 38-27 loss to South Carolina on Saturday.

Jackson, who was a linebacker at South Dakota State from 2003 to 2005, had extensive collegiate coaching experience before joining Vandy's staff this year.

He was part of the staff at his alma mater for eight years, helping South Dakota State establish itself as one of the premier programs in FCS.

Jackson then spent two seasons at Northern Illinois and was part of a turnaround that saw the Huskies go from winless in 2020 to MAC champions in 2021.

Jackson is currently not in line to be with Vanderbilt when it returns to the field Saturday for a road clash against Kentucky.

Vandy is 0-5 in the SEC this season, and it is looking to avoid a third consecutive season with no conference wins.