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College athletes forgoing school loyalty and entering their name into the transfer portal is nothing new, but doing so after an inappropriate comment from their coach is eyebrow-raising.
And that’s precisely what happened to Rasir Bolton when he decided to take his talents from Penn State to Iowa State. It all began when coach Pat Chambers told Bolton that he had a “noose” around his neck. While some may say it was just a poor choice of words, Bolton says it was just an affirmation of previous behavior he endured from him while part of the program.
Bolton said Chambers also said his parents were “well-spoken” and “organized” which were digs at ignorant Black stereotypes.
https://twitter.com/rasir_9/status/1280141282623598594
On Monday afternoon Bolton came clean on Twitter about the noose comment and explained that’s why he decided to transfer to Iowa State last summer.
“A ‘noose’ around my neck is why I left Penn State,” Bolton tweeted. “Head Coach Patrick Chambers, the day after his one-game suspension in January 2019, in talking to me referenced a ‘noose’ around my neck. A noose: symbolic of lynching, slavery and racial terrorism. Due to other interactions with [Chambers], I knew this was no slip of the tongue. I reported this immediately to my academic advisor. I confronted Coach Chambers. I spoke directly with the [athletic director’s] office myself.”
Bolton continues that the issues weren’t isolated events and that his parents had met with members of the Athletic Department several times, which yielded no results. When approached by Bolton, Chambers showed no signs of changing his behavior, while the student-athlete was referred to a psychologist to deal with Chambers’ “personality type.”
Just hours after Bolton told his story, Chambers retorted and offered up an apology.
“I’ve realized the pain my words and ignorance caused Rasir Bolton and his family and I apologize to Rasir and the Bolton family for what I said,” Chambers said in a statement. “I failed to comprehend the experiences of others, and the reference I made was hurtful, insensitive and unacceptable. I cannot apologize enough for what I said, and I will carry that forever.”
Bolton was inspired to reveal his experience after finding out that last month, on a National Association of Basketball Coaches online forum about the racial climate in collegiate athletics and America Chambers made comments about how important it is to fight for equality in sports, adding, “It can’t just be on this call today, and we know this.”
