UCLA XC athlete had hate in his heart and he let it out

Warning: Content contains full spelling of n-word. If you are easily offended or if the visual of the full n-word causes emotional distress, we genuinely advise you to stop reading.

Racism Score: 5.1

A UCLA cross country athlete was kicked to the curb after the racist hate in his heart was unveiled. Head coach Avery Anderson announced Chris Weiland was booted from the team after a verified video of him using the n-word surfaced.

As we have shared previously, there are consequence levels to the n-word. Non-Black people should never use it – but there is a monumental difference slipping up while singing and using the n-word-with-an-a in a song, versus outright calling a Black person the n-word with a hard R.

The video of the disgraced athlete showed him complaining about his girlfriend who cheated on him. This all occurred in 2019. So, two years ago, before Weiland was enrolled at UCLA, his athletic career was already on the path to its demise. That is what happens though when you say things like this…

“She’s going to be with a stupid nigger who’s going to be in community college all his life.”

Yeah, that is white conehead hood talk. There was also homophobic language. Weiland deserves a timeout to think about his actions. A simple apology does not suffice here. Weiland needs sensitivity training, culture counseling, and a trip to the National Museum of African American History so he fully understands the error of his ways.

A fascinating part of this story is Avery Anderson, the track and field coach of UCLA is Black. The reason we think his race is noteworthy is due to the fact the video occurred in 2019.

When the video was brought to Anderson’s attention last year, he initially suspended Weiland from the team before reinstating him this past January. Pressure was mounting though which made Anderson rethink his decision.

Anderson released the following statement:  

“I can talk about changing the world, or I can put in the work to do so. And that is what I have done over the last few months with this individual. After team members and the athletic community expressed concern, it became clear that his continued involvement with the team is incompatible with the culture of mutual support and respect we’re fostering. I now realize that the decision to reinstate him was not the right decision, and that the action today is best for the well-being of our team.”  

To recap – Anderson who is Black, thought it was best to suspend Weiland at first. However, due to the recent uproar, Weiland had to go. Understandable, maybe Weiland being released is the best way for him to learn and the team to heal.

The UCLA Black Student-Athlete Association also released a statement:

We are deeply disturbed to learn that UCLA knew about an incident of blatant racism, homophobia, and sexism and did very minimal actions about it. We at BSAA refuse to accept the actions of that athlete, as well as the lack of action to address the issue by coaches, staff, and administration.”

The webs we weave, can’t we all just get along!