Pace University defensive lineman Tyler Owens has been suspended from the team as the university investigates a photo he allegedly took while dressed in a Confederate flag hat and shirt.
The photo appears to be from Snapchat and has the caption "The grand wizard" which is the name of the leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Owens is also allegedly making the Nazi salute. A Confederate flag hangs in the background.
[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for things you won’t see on the blog]
Owens is a team captain for the Division II school and had 64 tackles and six blocked kicks in 2014 as a junior.
In an email to the Pace community, President Steven J. Friedman said the player — who is unnamed in the statement — has been stripped of his captain's role and "will not participate in University football activities pending the outcome" of a university investigation.
Friedman also wrote: "The photograph is highly offensive and contrary to the values of diversity, inclusiveness, and embracing the ethnic and cultural differences among students, faculty, and staff that are deeply held at Pace University and its Athletics Department.That is especially true at this time when states throughout the country are recognizing the symbolic offensiveness of displaying the Confederate flag and the importance of accepting those with different backgrounds is being sorely tested by the refugee crisis in Europe."
You can view the entire statement here.
It's currently unclear how old the photo is. A report said the photo was three years old. However, according to the Pace Chronicle, a group of African-American students who sent the paper the picture said they received it recently via the social media app. In an email to the Chronicle, the students said they wished to remain anonymous (The picture on the right is via the Chronicle).
Owens' ex-girlfriend has also denied she had anything to do with the leaking of the image. A former football player had told the Chronicle she was rumored to have something to do with the release of the image.
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
“I would never do something like this to [Owens] or his team,” MacDougall said. “I would never sabotage anyone’s future or their team this way. I had nothing to do with it and from what the news is saying the picture was taken a couple of years ago, when I did not know Owens.”
She declined comment to the Chronicle when asked if he had "displayed any racist or anti-Semitic tendencies during their relationship."
Earlier this year, South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier supported the state's move to take the Confederate flag down from the capitol grounds in the aftermath of the murder of nine members of the Emanuel AME church in Charleston. The team is also wearing decals on its helmets for the entirety of the 2015 season to memorialize the people killed. Suspect Dylann Roof has been indicted on 33 charges, including hate crimes.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!