Oregon State redshirt freshman Rocco Carley was kicked off the team Wednesday night by coach Jonathan Smith after a racist audio recording surfaced on Twitter.
The audio tape, which Carley claimed took place three years ago during a chat between friends, appeared on Twitter at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night. Oregon State teammates immediately reacted with outrage.
Carley, a tight end who graduated from Kennedy High in Mt. Angel, issued an apology about an hour after the audio was posted.
“I could not be more ashamed of my actions,” Carley wrote.
Smith responded swiftly. After talking with OSU athletic director Scott Barnes, Smith issued a statement, saying he had removed Carley from the team. Carley’s name was immediately deleted from the Beavers’ online football roster.
“We both agreed this language and attitude is entirely unacceptable, regardless of circumstance or environment. I spoke with Rocco and dismissed him from the team. I will not tolerate racism or hate speech,” Smith wrote.
The action came on the heels of more than a week’s worth of news events kicked off by the death of George Floyd. Oregon State athletes have been prominent on social media commenting about protest rallies, so it came as no surprise that Carley’s teammates reacted forcefully Wednesday night.
It is not known as to whether Carley will remain as a student at Oregon State. According to Oregon State’s official Twitter account, it wrote “We prohibit discrimination in any form. The comments referred to in this post are not in keeping with the university’s safe, welcoming and inclusive community. Action will be taken immediately.”
-- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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