A college wrestler has lost his scholarship after being captured on video shouting an anti-gay slur while attending a pro-Trump rally.
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) revoked a scholarship to 18-year-old wrestler Bronson Harmon after he was recorded yelling homophobic abuse in a video shared on Facebook.
Holding a pro-Donald Trump sign, Harmon can be seen making an obscene gesture and shouting “f**k off, f*ggot!” in the video that has been viewed more than 33,000 times (at this writing) since it was initially posted on June 30.
The incident took place after the Modesto, California Families Belong Together march which protested the Trump administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents at the border.
Abdul Lasaing, who is a clerk for the Modesto Police Department, filmed and posted the video, writing that he was walking back to his car after the march when he encountered a group of men that included Harmon.
“I heard a group of men shouting and trying to scare us by saying #sendthemback and even yelled at someone nig**! I was so in chocked [sic] so I automatically pulled out my phone to record, and see who was being so disrespectful!” Lasaing shared on Facebook.
One of the people commenting on the Facebook thread identified Harmon as having won a wrestling scholarship at Cal Poly, saying, “It’s time to take that scholarship away from him.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
Harmon is now expressing some sense of remorse over his actions, but feels his punishment exceeds his bad behavior.
“Saying what I said is definitely not the right thing. I am supposed to be there to help the community be the best person I can be and represent the college the best way I can,” he told local newspaper, The Tribune.
“I still feel like my freedom of speech was taken away, and I don’t think my scholarship should have been revoked over something like that,” he added.
Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman confirmed to The Tribune the university was aware of the video.
Ironically, in an announcement of signing the new members of the CalPoly wrestling team in November, Coach Sioredas wrote, “They each embody high character and high work ethic and will be great additions to our program.”
— Bronson Harmon (@bharmned22) July 11, 2018
Like he said he is
Like he said he is representing his school. A great life lesson. He doesn't sound like he knows actions and words comes with consequences.
Anyone wanna bet that he’s closeted?
C’mon… it’s wrestling!! He
C'mon… it's wrestling!! He grabs other men for a sport. Besides, it's already obvious no amount of money can be spent rehabilitating his brain to eradicate his affinity towards the angry orange crowd.
Freedom of speech does NOT
Freedom of speech does NOT mean freedom from consequence.
and now he has the freedom to
and now he has the freedom to pay for his own tuition fees
I am not condoning his
I am not condoning his actions in the least, what he did and said was utterly disgusting it seem lately though the punishments far outweigh the crimes. I'm sure most everyone has said something in the heat of the moment that they regret again just make the punishment fit the crime is all.
Could not disagree more about
Could not disagree more about his punishment. He will get money from some right wing who believes he was punished to harshly. He deserved to lose his scholarship, it is not like he got expelled from the university
Remember, athletics often
Remember, athletics often make money for colleges, and even sports that are not money makers are very important from the public relations point of view. If he lost the scholarship simply for being at a Trump rally, that would be wrong, but yelling a gay slur makes it an entirely different situation. The school could also have seen the real possibility losing donors if they did not act.
typical republican who doesn
typical republican who doesn't think before he acts
Freedom of Speech does not
Freedom of Speech does not mean you can go around verbally assaulting people and get away with it. Grab a brain (and some tolerance, while you are at it).