The University of Ottawa said it “reluctantly” accepted cheerleader coach Casey Jamerson’s resignation after Jamerson allegedly made racist comments about a black cheerleader who was later removed from the team.
Cheerleader Talyn Jefferson said she was kicked out of the crowd earlier this month because of her hairstyle and an incident between her and Jamerson in training. Jefferson, 20, told the Kansas City Star in an interview that she defended herself after Jamerson made comments about her hair in training.
“I was kicked out because I was defending myself against micro-aggressive comments that the coach made to me, which made me and others very uncomfortable,” Jefferson told Star.
“Instead of the university addressing the fact that the comments were out of line and made me uncomfortable and the coach should have apologized, the solution was to expel me.”
Jamerson has denied all charges against her. Ottawa University is a small Christian school located in Ottawa, Kansas, a city approximately an hour southwest of Kansas City.
What the cheerleader said happened
A friend of Jefferson posted Jefferson’s version of the story via a text message on Twitter on January 16. In his message to his friend, Jefferson said that Jamerson said she needed to take off her hat. Jefferson then told Jamerson that she needed to keep him in order to prevent his hair plaits from hitting his teammates.
“From then on she tells me that I’m using my hair as an excuse. I told her that I would rather not talk about it anymore because you didn’t understand. That’s all I said, ”wrote Jefferson to his friend. “From there [Jamerson] got very angry and hostile and started playing hands [and] says’ I don’t understand! I get it! I do black hair! I’m a cosmetologist. I lived with a black girl for five years, I understand what it’s like to have hair like this! ‘”
Jefferson then said that Jamerson said his hair was an obstacle to his joyful and “non-school” performance. Jamerson also allegedly told her to “get the shit” out of practice and accused Jefferson of “talking shit”.
The school told Star last week that Jefferson’s hairstyle had nothing to do with why she was no longer part of the team. Jefferson had been in the crowd for over two years. Jamerson was in her first year as a team cheerleader.
University: ‘No violation’ of school protocols
Ottawa said in its statement on Saturday that no wrongdoing had occurred and accused false information on social media and “certain media” of amplifying the tension between Jamerson and Jefferson. A school spokesman had previously called the incident between the two “unfortunate”.
“The University’s Compliance Office conducted a thorough investigation that included, but was not limited to, the review of statements made by Coach Jamerson and the student, confidential interviews with students and other employees who were present and the review of video images, ”Said the school. “Based on the investigation, the university concluded that there was no violation of its policy.
“Due to false and misleading information subsequently posted on social media and then collected by some media outlets, Coach Jamerson was subjected to unfortunate vitrioles, harassment and threatening comments online, via email and by phone. Some of the threats were worrying enough that Coach Jamerson was forced to notify legal authorities. “
The Lawrence, Kansas police department said Jamerson had filed a police report on January 22 about the harassment he received online. A department official told Star that none of the harassments Jamerson reported to the department had directly threatened his life.
The school’s president, Dr. Reggies Wenyika, said in the statement that Jamerson’s decision to resign was an “altruistic act” and that she cared too much for the team to remain a coach. Jamerson said in the statement that it would be a continuous distraction for the school if he continued in his current role.
“In reflecting on the events of the past three weeks, I can only conclude that my future involvement with the program is likely to continue to be a distraction for the team, our technical and athletic team and other members of the OU community,” Jamerson said. “I don’t want this for anyone involved. My colleagues and I have built a program that we are very proud of. As I move away now, it is my most sincere wish that the OU crowd program, especially its student-athletes, continue to grow and flourish. . “
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