The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga offensive line technician was fired on Thursday after tweeting a statement that mocked Georgia’s policy, Stacey Abrams.
Assistant coach Chris Malone was released after tweeting, and later deleted, a statement Tuesday night during the Georgia Senate runoff election and the involvement of Abrams, who was running for governor in 2018 and later a possible running mate for Joe Biden.
Here’s Tuesday’s tweet.
“Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you really showed the United States the real works of cheating in an election, again !!!” The status of Malone’s tweet, according to Twitter user Chattanooga Holler. “Enjoy the buffet Garotinha! You deserved it !!! I hope the money was good, you are not governor yet!”
Tennessee-Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright and athletic director Mark Wharton issued statements about their actions to leave Malone.
“Our football program has a clear set of standards,” said Wright. “These standards include respect for others. It is a message that our players hear daily. It is a standard that I will not renounce. What was posted on social media by a member of my team is unacceptable and is not part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and, as youth leaders, we have to set this example, first of all. With that being said, effectively immediately, this individual is no longer part of my team. “
Malone, who has since deleted his Twitter account, has trained at Virginia State, a historically black university. He has spent the past two seasons in Tennessee-Chattanooga.
Abrams was a member of the 2007-2017 Georgia State Assembly prior to her candidacy for governor. After his defeat for Republican Brian Kemp, Abrams became even more politically active on the regional and national scene. His most recent involvement included supporting Democratic Senate candidates for Georgia, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won re-election to help change the US Senate from red to blue, giving Democrats now control of the House, Senate and of the White House.
Photo by Brochure / DNCC via Getty Images
After Malone’s tweet, Mocs’ AD Mark Wharton said it was “terrible”.
“The sentiments of that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university,” said Wharton.
Chattanooga is located in southeastern Tennessee, right on the border with northwest Georgia.
Other stops on Malone’s coaching journey include Old Dominion, James Madison, Massachusetts and other schools.