Tennessee-Chattanooga sacked assistant coach Chris Malone on Thursday after a racist tweet in which he mocked Georgia’s political and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.
Coach Rusty Wright and sports director Mark Wharton issued statements admonishing Malone, who deleted the tweet. Malone, the Tennessee-Chattanooga offensive line coach, tweeted Tuesday night about Georgia’s second-round Senate election and Abrams’ role in increasing voter turnout.
“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 !!!” reads Malone’s tweet, captured by Chattanooga Holler. “Enjoy the buffet Garotinha! You deserved it !!! I hope the money was good, you are not governor yet!”
Malone has since deleted his Twitter account.
“Our football program has a clear set of standards,” said Wright in a statement posted on social media. “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. “
Abrams, a member of the Georgia state assembly from 2007 to 2017 who became a minority leader, ran for governor in 2018, becoming the first black woman to become a major party candidate for governor. She lost a close race to Brian Kemp in an election that sparked demands for voter suppression.
Abrams endorsed the Democratic Senate candidates, Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, who won runoff contests on Tuesday.
Malone had spent the past two years as an offensive lineman for Tennessee-Chattanooga. He previously trained at Old Dominion and made stops at James Madison, Massachusetts and other programs.
Malone spent the 2013 season as an offensive line coach and racing game coordinator at Virginia State, a historically black university.
Wharton called Malone’s tweet “terrible”.
“The sentiments of that post do not represent the values of our football program, our athletics department or our university,” said Wharton in a statement.