A Brief Note on a Local Matter

The Superintendent of a small school district just up the road from us is in hot water. In response to the ending of a recent Texans loss, he posted a comment, thinking it was private, but instead putting it out there for all to see. Despite a quick deletion, the damage had already been done.

Here’s a link to the story from the Houston Chronicle website: https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Onalaska-ISD-superintendent-apologizes-for-13236285.php

Now, I confess that I am not a fan of the media and the way they jump to call into question every comment from anyone with whom they disagree. (Especially with those who have a different political opinion.) But this time, let me say up front, I agree with the general assessment of this particular statement. It is a blatantly racist comment and more troubling, it reveals a deeply racist mindset.

From a purely personal standpoint, I am old enough to remember when NFL quarterbacks were all white. When that began to change, I can clearly recall the ugly comments and insults openly expressed about guys like Doug Williams, Warren Moon, Steve McNair, and countless others. Honestly, I never considered that a man’s skin color would have any effect on his ability to play any particular position on the field. But I know that many people boldly, and ignorantly, proclaimed such things.

I had a different take on the subject. I was always more of the opinion that college quarterbacks who ran the triple option (Yes, I know, I’m showing my age!) were ill-prepared to succeed in the NFL. Running quarterbacks, of any color, always seemed to have major problems adjusting to the pro game. (For example, Tim Tebow) In the current league, coaches are much more willing to adapt their offenses to the strengths of their quarterback. And college coaches are more willing to run pro-style offenses themselves, but there are still many factors that influence how well a college player will do in the NFL.

Let’s get back to the comments from Lynn Redden, superintendent of Onalaska ISD. As a general rule, I am not in favor of people losing their jobs, careers, reputations, livelihoods, etc. based on nothing more than their words. The school board has already quickly announced plans to hold a special meeting to discuss the situation. I will leave it to them to decide what they feel is best for their district.

BUT, here are my thoughts. I actually worked with Mr. Redden for a single school year in Coldspring-Oakhurst ISD. We did not part on good terms. (I’ve spent the last few decades wondering what the hell was taking Karma so long to find the man, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.) Anyway, back to my thoughts.

Timing matters

I still have a problem with someone dredging up some questionable, vaguely remembered statement from forty years ago, but this is different. If you chased down anybody who would admit to going to school with me back in the sixties, you could probably nail me for telling some off-color joke or making some crude or sexist remark, but would that really tell you more about my character than the life I’ve lived since then? Or would it just show how immature I was as a kid? On the other hand, what you say today matters.

Words reveal the content of the heart and mind

There are slips of the tongue, and times when something comes out totally different than you meant, and I would never presume to make a judgment on someone’s character based on a single isolated comment, but by and large, what people say, out loud, is often very revealing. In Matthew, Jesus puts it this way, “The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart.” (Matt. 15:18a, NIV)

An excuse isn’t the same as an apology

Mr. Redden has offered two relatively weak explanations for his comments. First, he thought he was sending a private message and didn’t realize his comments were public. His “apology” was basically that he regretted that the comments were posted. He doesn’t even think his words were racist (although he says he could understand how someone might interpret them that way.) I’ve yet to see an apology for what he actually said. Secondly, he claims that numbers support his position, citing the “statistical success of black quarterbacks in the NFL.” I won’t get into a debate about that because I honestly do think statistics can be skewed to support any number of faulty conclusions. Suffice it to say that whatever factors contribute to the success or failure of any given professional athlete, I would say that the amount of melanin in the skin cells probably doesn’t have much of an impact.

So, how are we to respond to this kind of thing? I’ve seen many angry responses. And anger is understandable. The problem is that anger is just not very productive. Attacking a whole bunch of folks who had nothing to do with any of this does nothing to help. All white people don’t think this way, nor all conservatives/liberals, nor all Republicans/Democrats, nor all Trump supporters/haters, nor all Texans, nor all Polk county residents. Just Saying! If you want to be angry, please try to limit your anger to the one person who actually made the comment.

On the other hand, maybe we should follow the example set by Deshaun Watson himself. His classy response may be seen here: https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/deshaun-watson-gives-classy-response-to-superintendents-black-quarterback-comments/285-596227829

Let me conclude by saying that whatever happens with the school board, this is more than just some idle comment that can be brushed away. If I were the parent of a minority child in this district, I would have serious concerns about my superintendent’s views on race and its correlation to intellect or decision making abilities. Let’s all pray for wisdom as they decide how to move forward.

Update!

And before I could even get this posted, Mr. Redden has resigned as the superintendent of Onalaska ISD. In his written letter, he does finally give a true apology and acknowledges the inappropriateness of his words. Here’s the full story: https://www.chron.com/houston/article/Onalaska-ISD-superintendent-resigns-after-13249845.php