North Alabama coach Bobby Wallace and his staff dismissed long-snapper Bradley Patterson from the team after his racist tweet about President Obama.(Photo: Mason Matthews, University of North Alabama)
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A North Alabama football player was dismissed from the team after posting a racist tweet Sunday directed at President Obama, whose speech at the memorial for the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Conn., preempted NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football.
Bradley Patterson, the Lions’ third-string long-snapper, wrote on his Twitter account:
“Take that [racial slur] off the tv, we wanna watch football!”
The account since has been deleted.
Later on Sunday evening, North Alabama athletic director Mark Linder issued a statement on his Twitter account condemning Patterson’s comments[1]:
“Thx 2 everyone who brought the inappropriate tweet to our attention. @UNAAthletics does not condone. He is no longer a member of the team.”
Patterson joined the UNA football program after the fourth game of the 2012 season as an “uninvited” walk-on, according to the university. He was a non-scholarship player who never dressed for games and never was listed on the team’s roster.
An official at North Alabama told USA TODAY Sports that as soon as the coaching staff was made aware of his comments, Patterson was informed he would not be allowed to return to the football team.
