After Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon voluntarily released to the public video of him striking a woman during a 2014 incident, ESPN college football writer Brett McMurphy made a good move by tweeting out he found the video — and some people’s acceptance of it — disturbing. Eighty minutes later, he made a terrible move by tweeting an offensive, sarcastic remark: “At least OU fans can still greet each other with ‘Boom her’.”
McMurphy deleted the tweet and publicly apologized later Friday night, saying the offensive tweet was meant sarcastically to show the absurdity in some Oklahoma fans’ lack of disgust with the Mixon video.
“Even in that context,” McMurphy tweeted, “my attempted sarcasm as a response to the blind loyalty fans were showing in the face of the horrific video was not the best way to make a point on something so sensitive.”
Here is McMurphy’s full apology from his Twitter:
“I deleted an earlier tweet that was part of a series of tweets I put out in response to what I considered to be a misguided group of some fans who seemed to be supportive of the horribly violent act captured on the Mixon video released tonight. Even in that context, my attempted sarcasm as a response to the blind loyalty fans were showing in the face of the horrific video was not the best way to make a point on something so sensitive. I apologize”
I deleted an earlier tweet that was part of a series of tweets I put out in response to what I considered to (cont) https://t.co/yPaRHnwUYm
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 17, 2016
Here are the first three of the series of tweets McMurphy referenced:
Great 24 hours for college football: Joe Mixon video, Minnesota threatens bowl boycott, Louisville OC suspended, ongoing #WakeyLeaks saga
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 16, 2016
It is sad – and disturbing – a number of people actually believe if someone may/may not have called you a name, it’s OK to punch a woman
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 16, 2016
OU statement: “We are an educational institution where we hope young people will learn from their mistakes & chart a better future course”
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 16, 2016
While McMurphy received tons of backlash on Twitter, his tweet received at least 116 retweets and 148 likes. So in its own backwards way, McMurphy’s tweet proved his point, bringing to light that there are also plenty of tweeters who would take such a remark seriously and endorse it — although that isn’t much of a revelation, unfortunately.
Still, as McMurphy acknowledged in his apology, there are better ways than an offensive tweet to point that out.
[Photo Credit: Asbury Park Press]
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