On Saturday (Sept. 9) night, the Alabama Crimson Tide lost to the Texas Longhorns (34-24). Yet, the final score at the University of Alabama’s Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa didn’t gain as much attention as another event that took place on site.
The eighth-largest stadium in the United States, with a seating capacity of 100,077, also served as the setting of blatant bigotry on Saturday. A group of fans verbally assaulted the Longhorns’ players on their sideline with homophobic and racist language when the UT athletes began to celebrate their win. The incident happened the same night that Lil Nas X and others dealt with a homophobic bomb threat at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.
The University of Alabama stated on Monday (Sept. 11):
“We are disgusted by reports of vile language and inappropriate behavior Saturday night. To be clear, we condemn this behavior, and it will not be tolerated in our venues. It is not representative of UA or our values. We expect all attendees to act with class and respect toward others. Fans are strongly encouraged to report issues to our security resources on-site. Gameday and delayed reports are appropriately addressed, and anyone found to be in violation of our rules and expectations will be promptly removed and may be banned from future events.”
Crimson Tide fans repeatedly shouted in a viral video, “Go back to the projects, f**gots!” at three Black players, X’Avion Brice, Jelani McDonald and Quintrevion “Tre” Wisner.
On Twitter, Wisner’s mother shared her feelings and on-site experience, saying, “Just saddens my heart that as his mother, no matter how old, he had to listen to that! Love you, son! But, the parents went through this all night! Beer cans thrown at us, water bottles, spit! Disgrace.”
She concluded, “Disrespectful and disgraceful! All those boys are on a full scholarship at a wonderful school!”