Bob Stoops Comments on Racist Frat Video, Says Oklahoma Can 'Effect Change'
Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops expanded on his comments regarding a video depicting campus fraternity members chanting a racist song, saying he hopes the university can use the ugly incident as a talking point going forward.
"This was caught here," Stoops said in an interview with ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski Tuesday. "I think [OU's players] realize it's everywhere. It's around the country. We happen to have it; let's try to do something with it and try to effect change. And I'm proud of the way they've done it."
Earlier this month, a short video featuring members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon surfaced in which members claimed a black student would never join their frat. The university closed the fraternity's Oklahoma chapter and expelled two of its members as part of the fallout. On-campus protests, some including Oklahoma football players, were also seen in the days following the video's leak.
Stoops joined many of his players in early protests. The longtime coach, who has also canceled practices and given other forms of leeway to players in the aftermath, said it was important to allow the players to process the situation in their own way.
"There's no coaching manual for this," Stoops told Wojciechowski. "It's a life issue more than anything when you're dealing with racism anywhere. ... It's a life issue—bigger than sports, bigger than football."
Wojciechowski's report indicates Oklahoma players plan to address racial issues in every individual interview with media this upcoming season. Stoops said the players are doing so with his full support, as he will "step back" in deciding how his team should react.
"Coaches, we do want to have our hands on and control," Stoops said. "But you have to have the pulse of your team, and I knew the pulse of our team was they were going to do this their own way. They felt they were the ones affected and impacted the most, and they were going to deal with it."
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