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Texas Superintendent in Hot Water Over Black QB Quip

Lynn Redden says he thought it was a private message
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Sep 19, 2018 3:33 AM CDT
Updated Sep 19, 2018 7:00 AM CDT
Texas Superintendent in Hot Water Over Black QB Quip
Stock photo of a football team.   (Getty Images)

An East Texas school superintendent who wrote "You can't count on a black quarterback" on a Facebook post publicizing a Houston Chronicle article says he thought he was replying to a private message. Lynn Redden is superintendent of the Onalaska Independent School District in the Piney Woods, about 75 miles north of Houston. The Chronicle reports Redden was referring to the last play of Sunday's game in which Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson held the ball as time expired. Later Tuesday, the school district posted a notice on its website that the school board would have a special meeting on Saturday to discuss Redden's contract, reports the AP.

The board also released a statement to the Chronicle that read: "Onalaska ISD regrets that an inappropriate comment has been attributed to the district's superintendent. The OISD does not condone negative comments or actions against any race. The district values every individual and therefore the district will take the appropriate measures to address the situation expeditiously and completely." In an interview with the Chronicle, Redden said he regrets posting what he thought was a private comment; he said he deleted it as soon as he realized it was public. Redden said he based the comment on what he called the "limited success" of black quarterbacks in the NFL.

(More gaffe stories.)

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