Glenn Schembechler apologized Monday for his social media activity which led to him resigning from Michigan as the team’s assistant director of football recruiting after only a few days on the job.
According to multiple reports, Schembechler’s Twitter account featured several questionable “likes,” including the suggestions that slavery and Jim Crow laws had a positive effect on Black people. He addressed the “likes” in his statement.
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“My entire life and that of my Dad and family has been devoted to the best in people – no matter their race, religion or creed. I have fed my family through hard work and dedicated service promoting Black excellence and lifelong successes in academics and athletics for all,” the statement read. “I was raised on the right side of history. The success of myself, my family, my father, our whole legacy is centered on the debt we owe the scores and scores of Black families, and all families, who allowed us to be a part of their incredible journeys. These Black players are among the greatest influences in my life besides faith, family and my father – all of which inform me of inalienable equality. Creating greater opportunities for every single aspiring athlete, especially Black athletes, has been our family’s focus and life’s work.
“But what I do for a living is far less important than for people to know what is in my heart, and has been, since I was born, instilled in me by my pioneering father. By inexplicably and irresponsibly liking things on social media I owe an unabashed and unequivocal apology to my hundreds of friends and fellow coaches in the Black community, all communities, the University of Michigan, my father’s legacy and my family. Any words or philosophies that in any way seek to underplay the immeasurable suffering and long-term economic and social inequities that hundreds of years of slavery and the ‘Jim Crow’ era caused for Black Americans is wrong. I was wrong.
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“We must never sanitize morally unsanitary, historical behaviors that have hindered the Black community, or any other community. There are no historical silver linings for the experience of our brothers and sisters. While disappointed in my flippant behavior on Twitter, those who know me best like Stony Burks, Pierre Woods and many others will confirm what they know to be true in my heart and head. Let this be yet another unfortunate example of exercising better caution and judgment on social media, not just to avoid infringing on your lifetime commitments, core values and ideals, but to help continue the march of even more progress for our melting pot. My sincerest apologies, again and profusely, to anyone I have offended, to the great institution that is the University of Michigan and to the broader athletic community I have been honored to dedicate my life’s work with the integrity and decency inspired by my family over the decades. We have all made mistakes which is why I hope for forgiveness based on my expansive life’s work, and not any moment of indiscretion.”
Schembechler was in the NFL for 25 years working as a scout, according to the Detroit News. He last worked for the Las Vegas Raiders before he was let go in February.
According to ESPN, Schembechler went through a background check during the hiring process. The Twitter account associated with him, @shemyscout, has since been deactivated.
Schembechler is the son of longtime Wolverines football coach Bo Schembechler.
Bo Schembechler coached the Wolverines from 1969-1989 and led the team to 13 Big Ten Championships.
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