Sports commentator wrongly accused of making racist remarks receives $25 million in damages

Mr Sapulpa sued the state newspaper for defamation and intentional injury

A former Oklahoma high school football coach has been awarded $25 million in damages after a jury concluded that the state’s largest newspaper wrongly identified him as a high school sports announcer who made racist comments about players. .

Scott Sapulpa is suing The Oklahoman, claiming it wrongly identified him as the broadcaster who made a racist slur.

In March 2021, Mr. Sapulpa was one of two announcers for a high school basketball game between Midwest City High School and Norman High School. Players from the Norman High School team took a knee during the national anthem, and Mr. Sapulpa’s co-announcer Matt Rowan — unaware that his microphone was still alive — racially profiled them Doctrine roars, independent the report said.

“They were on their knees? Fuck them. I hope Norman gets his ass kicked…” Mr Rowan said on the live broadcast, before using a racist epithet.

Mr Rowan later admitted he was the one who used the insulting language and blamed the incident on his blood sugar spike.

“I want to state that I have type 1 diabetes and during the competition, my blood sugar spiked,” Rowan said in a statement obtained by Sports Illustrated. “While I do not condone my comments, when my It’s not uncommon for me to become disoriented when my blood sugar spikes, often saying inappropriate and hurtful things. I don’t believe I would have made such horrific statements without my blood sugar spikes.”

Mr Sapulpa sued the state newspaper for defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In Muscogee County, the jury found that the newspaper had acted with actual malice and awarded actual damages of $5 million with an additional $20 million in punitive damages.

Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for Gannett Co., which owns The Oklahoman, said they plan to appeal the ruling.

“No evidence was presented to the jury that The Oklahoman acted with awareness that the content reported was false or with any intent to harm the plaintiffs in this case,” Anton said.