A white UCLA cross country and track runner has been dismissed from the team after a video and text messages surfaced showing him allegedly using racial and homophobic slurs about his ex’s new boyfriend.
According to ESPN, Coach Avery Anderson announced Chris Weiland’s dismissal on Twitter on Monday (Feb. 22). He also said that he previously suspended the runner for the video a few months ago. “Chris Weiland has been dismissed as a member of the cross country and track and field teams,” he said. “When first learning of this a few months ago, I was disgusted and immediately suspended him indefinitely from the team.”
Anderson continued, “Even in my disgust, as a coach, my intentions are always to lead and educate and make the change happen that I want to see in this world. 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.”
Weiland was reinstated to the team in January, but after several teammates protested his return, he was officially dismissed.
A four-minute video of Weiland’s alleged remarks was posted to social media and went viral. In the video, he can be heard saying the N-word and using anti-gay slurs while speaking about his ex-girlfriend’s new Black boyfriend. Additionally, someone posted alleged text messages from Weiland where he made the same offensive remarks.
He allegedly says his former lover “wants to be with this fucking faggot who has no future. She’s going to be with a stupid nigger who’s going to be in community college all his life.” When the other person on the phone urged him to calm down, he threatened to “beat the fuck” out of the other guy.
On Sunday (Feb. 21), the UCLA Black Student-Athlete Association released a statement saying they were “deeply disturbing to learn that UCLA knew about an incident of blatant racism, homophobia and sexism and did very minimal actions about it.”
Check out the alleged video of Weiland below.