Did a Texas Car Dealer Just Have a Racist Slipup on Waco Newscast?
A car dealership in Waco, Texas gifted Kim Mulkey, Baylor's head women's basketball coach, a Corvette to use for a year after her three National Championships. The dealership intended to do the same for Baylor Men's Basketball Head Coach Scott Drew after his team accomplished the same goal this season.
Things have not gone as planned for said dealership.
Ted Teague, general manager of the Allen Samuels Auto Group dealership in Waco, was interviewed for a local news broadcast on KWTX in Waco on Tuesday and showed off a lifted white Jeep Wrangler with a Baylor Basketball-themed wrap on the side. He explained the history and was trying to promote his brand...until a bit of his personal brand slipped out, that is.
During the interview, Teague made a comment about Drew being able to use the vehicle to help with recruiting, saying the coach could "enjoy it, and he’ll use it to recruit and pull some people out of the hood."
After his comment, you could see Teague physically react to what he had said, almost trying to reach out physically and pull that one back.
The response from Baylor was fairly swift and certain. A statement featuring both Scott Drew and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades was released, saying they wanted no part of the jeep or the dealership.
"We can confirm we are not accepting the Jeep driven in the parade on Tuesday," part the statement read. "As a department, we are committed to recruiting a diverse group of student-athletes, coaches, and staff, all of whom are valued members of our community."
You can read Baylor Athletics' entire statement here:
What's more, the Baylor roster is actually very diverse, with players from Georgia, Texas, Ohio, Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. It also features transfers from major universities and players from affluent communities. There are players of different nationalities and races that make up the eclectic roster that just dominated everyone they played for the entire season, except for two games after a three-week layoff from COVID-19.
This story is what makes sports so great and so terrible all at once. The pride a roster can have in itself as a group of individuals coming together for a common goal. Not only having a goal, but achieving that goal.
On the flip side, it also shows the ignorance that's so common amongst fanbases and donors that think college athletes can't do anything but be athletes, and if they didn't have the fancy jeep drive across the tracks, they'd stay where they are forever.