Chattanooga offensive line coach Chris Malone has been fired for an offensive tweet posted on Monday night.
The tweet, since deleted and screenshot below, was posted late Tuesday night as it became clear the two Democratic challengers would win the Senate run-off elections in Georgia. Malone attacked voting rights activist Stacey Abrams in the tweet.
In addition to deleting the tweet, Malone also deleted his account, but it was not enough to save his job.
"Our football program has a clear set of standards. Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on," Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright said in a statement Thursday. "What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effective immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff."
"Last night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention. The entire post was appalling. The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our Athletics department or our University," added AD Mark Wharton. "With that said, effective immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program."
Malone was heading into his second season and had spent the previous three in the same post at Old Dominion.
This episode is far from the first example of a coach losing his job over a tweet, but hopefully it'll be the last.