Blue White Illustrated

F O O T B A L L Disparaging letter prompts forceful Penn State response Penn State head coach James Franklin met with the media on Oct. 8 at Beaver Stadium for his weekly press conference. The sessions take place every Tuesday during the regular season, but this one was anything but the usual. Franklin opened the press conference with a prepared statement in which he addressed a topic that had been on everyone's mind since the night before: the letter that redshirt sophomore safety Jonathan Sutherland had received from a fan who didn't like Sutherland's dread- locks, calling them "awful" and "dis- gusting." The letter prompted an immediate backlash as soon as Penn State players began calling attention to it on social media. At his presser, Franklin rose to Sutherland's defense and also talked about the role that sports can play in a community as a unifying force. Here is his opening statement, in full: "I would like to open up with a statement. Something that I was thinking about laying in my bed last night that I put together that I wanted to put out there. "The football that I know and love brings people to- gether and embraces di4er- ences. Black, white, brown, Catholic, Jewish or Muslim, rich or poor, rural or urban, Republican or Democrat, long hair, short hair, no hair – they are all in that locker room to- gether. Teams all over this country are the purest form of humanity that we have. We don't judge. We embrace dif- ferences. We live, we learn, we grow, we support and we defend each other. We're a family. "Penn State football, Penn State Uni- versity and Happy Valley provide the same opportunities to embrace one an- other 12 Saturdays each fall. PSU foot- ball brings people together like very few things on this planet – 110,000 fans from all di4erent backgrounds throughout our re- gion, from all di4erent parts of the state, and they are hugging and high-3ving and singing 'Sweet Caro- line' together. "This is my football. This is the game that I love and most importantly, my players that I love and will defend like sons. Ultimately, this is the de3nition and embodiment of what we are all about. "Lastly, Jonathan Sutherland is one of the most respected players in our pro- gram. He's the ultimate example of what our program is all about. He's a captain. He's a Dean's List honor student. He's con3dent. He's articulate. He's intelli- gent. He's thoughtful. He's caring and he's committed. He's got two of the most supportive parents, and I would be so blessed if my daughters would marry someone with his character and in- tegrity one day." The university responded to the letter via its o5cial Twitter account, stating that "obviously its content does not align with our values. We strongly con- demn this message or any message of intolerance." Athletic director Sandy Barbour also issued a statement on Twitter. "I stand with our Penn State student-athletes and appreciate how they represent PSU in competition, in the classroom and in the community," she wrote. "Their dress, tattoos, or hairstyle has no impact on my support, nor does their gender, skin color, sexuality or religion!" Later that day, Sutherland provided his own response to the letter-writer, posted to social media. He wrote the fol- lowing: "Yesterday I received a letter by an alumni from the Pennsylvania State University who felt the need to share his degrading opinions in regards to my hair and what it stands for. Although the message was indeed rude, ignorant, and judging, I've taken no personal o4ense to it because personally, I must respect you as a person before I respect your opinion. At the end of the day, without an apology needed, I forgive this indi- vidual because I'm nowhere close to being perfect and I expect God to forgive me for all the wrong I've done in my life. Colossians 3:13 states, 'Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.' I appre- ciate everyone who has reached out to me and showed their support. Let this be one of the many examples to us that in the year 2019, people of di4erent cul- tures, religions, and ethnicities are still being discriminated against and it needs to stop. "Don't be scared to be di4erent!!" ■ SETTING AN EXAMPLE Sutherland was the recipient of a letter from a fan criticizing his hair. Franklin called the redshirt sopho- more safety "the ulti- mate example of what our program is all about." Photo by Steve Manuel |

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