UCLA track and field runner Chris Weiland was dismissed from the team on Monday night after videos and text messages reportedly showed that he was using racist, homophobic and sexist language.
Head coach Avery Anderson put out a statement on the team’s Twitter page with the decision.
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“Chris Weiland has been dismissed as a member of the cross country and track and field teams,” Anderson said. “When first learning of this a few months ago, I was disgusted and immediately suspended him indefinitely from the team.
“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.”
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Anderson continued: “In January, I decided to reinstate him to the team. However, after team members and the athletic community expressed concern, it became clear that his continued involvement with the team is incompatible with the culture of mutual support and respect we’re fostering. I now realize that the decision to reinstate him was not the right decision, and that the action today is best for the well-being of our team.”
Weiland’s alleged remarks were posted on an Instagram account called “@ucla_is_racist” on Sunday, the Los Angeles Times reported. A screenshot of a text message was posted and it used racist and sexist language. A video was also posted — which lasted more than four minutes — and it was reportedly Weiland talking to a woman about a girl kissing another man. It included racist, homophobic and sexist language.
The Los Angeles Times reported that it identified “multiple people close to the program” confirming the person in the video was Weiland.
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UCLA’s Black Student-Athlete Alliance wasn’t happy with the university for not dismissing Weiland earlier than they did. The group shared a statement on Instagram on Sunday.
“As a university that champions itself on the accomplishments of its Black athletes that have broken barriers of social justice, we find it deeply disturbing to learn that UCLA knew about an incident of blatant racism, homophobia, and sexism and did very minimal actions,” the statement said.
“We at BSAA refuse to accept the actions of that athlete, as well as the lack of action to address the issue by coaches, staff, and administration.”
