Alabama athletes, coaches, administrators respond to vile video from now-former UA student
Published:
These days, if you act like a fool on social media, you are quick to get called out. The latest example of this comes from now-former Alabama student Harley Barber of New Jersey.
Barber posted a non-sensical video online of herself turning off a water faucet and equating that to saving lives. In the course of the video, she uses racial slurs to describe those she is referring to and how badly she hates them.
Barber is no longer enrolled in the institution, according to the school’s president.
It didn’t take long for the video to go viral and for several notable members of the Alabama community to react. From current star running back Damien Harris, to former All-American Landon Collins, basketball coach Avery Johnson and even University of Alabama President Stuart R. Bell.
Here’s what Harris said after viewing the video:
This girl goes to the same university as me but they say, “racism is dead.” Unfortunately, this thread says the opposite. https://t.co/OaYeCVEGUQ
— Damien Harris (@DHx34) January 16, 2018
Landon Collins’ reaction:
@AlphaPhiIntl take note… pic.twitter.com/keC8uXEv5t
— LANDON COLLINS (@TheHumble_21) January 17, 2018
Despite winning a big game over rival Auburn Wednesday evening, the video wasn’t far from Avery Johnson’s mind, either. Here are his comments after the game. This video is courtesy of Michael Casagrande of AL.com:
Avery Johnson comments on racist video from now-expelled Alabama student. pic.twitter.com/rnmm95uZMT
— Michael Casagrande (@ByCasagrande) January 18, 2018
And finally the statement from the school’s president:
“In light of the racist and disturbing videos posted by one of our students on social media, I want to express my personal disgust and disappointment.
“Like many of you, I find the videos highly offensive and deeply hurtful, not only to our students and our entire University community, but to everyone who viewed them. The actions of this student do not represent the larger student body or the values of our University, and she is no longer enrolled here.
“We hold our students to much higher standards, and we apologize to everyone who has seen the videos and been hurt by this hateful, ignorant and offensive behavior. This is not who we are; it is unacceptable and unwelcome here at UA. These types of incidents affect community members differently. If you have been impacted and would like additional support, please access resources here that are available to you on our campus.
“Over the last year, I have had conversations with many of you who shared your UA experiences with me. You have voiced your pride in the progress we have made, but we still have much work to do. I want to thank all of the students, faculty and staff who met today to have conversations about this event and the steps we can take, individually and collectively, to create a more welcoming and inclusive campus. You have my commitment and the commitment of our leadership team to sustain progress and address directly any issues that arise.
“I know you join me in taking a stand against this and all reprehensible behavior. As members of this community, we are a family and this is our home. Everyone has a right to feel safe and welcome here.”
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
