"Racism still alive, they just be concealin' it"

Gene Chizik was recently announced as the Auburn head coach this past week. Mr. Chizik was 5-19 in two years at Iowa State and was clear choice for the position at Auburn University, or so thought the Board of Trustees.


Coach Chizik

Mr. Chizik was brought on to replace Coach Tommy Tuberville, who was a Auburn football icon, and resigned end of the season. The Auburn staff then went on a ten-day search for a new head coach which many felt would be Buffalo University's Turner Gill.


Coach Turner Gill

I was watching ESPN Outside the Lines and I saw ESPN.com football writer Mark Schlabach claim that he spoke with two other SEC football coaches and the consensus was that Turner Gill was passed over, not only because he is black, but because he is married to a white woman.

Charles Barkley weighed in saying that this is the second time in a row that his alumnus has chosen a less than proven white coach over a black candidate. In 2004, the school chose unheard of Jeff Lebo to coach the basketball team. Mr. Lebo was the only candidate among four who hadn't been to the NCAA Tournament. The other three candidates? Black head coaches, Mike Davis, Jeff Capel, and Mike Anderson. The three black candidates were chosen by then committee member, Mr. Charles Barkley, but he says he was removed from the committee because he only wanted to participate if the school was ready to choose a black head coach.

Clearly Auburn is looking towards a new future of all-white athletes, how can they expect any black athletes to go to their school now? Living in Alabama for a few months I have already seen how racist the area is, and this just reaffirms my suspicions. Times are changing, but some people don't wan to get on board, I guess you can't save everyone's soul.


"Racism is birthed in the hearts of the ignorant, and lives in the minds of the weak."