Vanderbilt football DBs coach violated social media policy, will undergo anti-discrimination training
Vanderbilt's investigation into football defensive backs coach Dan Jackson found that he did not violate the university's anti-harassment policy but he did violate the Electronic Communications and Information Technology Resources policy.
As a result, Jackson will undergo training on anti-discrimination, unconscious bias, social media use, and leadership, athletic director Candice Lee said in a statement released Tuesday. Jackson will also meet with leaders of student groups and complete education on antisemitism through the spring semester.
Lee said in the statement that Jackson was not aware of antisemitic comments made by Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, prior to defending him in a comment on a friend's Facebook post. Jackson's intention was to promote equal treatment of Black and white public figures. According to Lee, however, this violated a staff policy against “unprofessional communication that could negatively impact Vanderbilt’s reputation or interfere with Vanderbilt’s core mission.”
Jackson said in a statement that, “I interpreted his post as a statement asking for equality and fairness in media coverage of all individuals. Without knowledge of recent actions by the individuals mentioned in the original post, including Kanye West, I impulsively replied. My emotion surrounding mental health and athletes using their voice for positive change were at the forefront of my comment.
“After being made aware of discriminatory statements made by West, I was sickened to know that my words could be interpreted as hurtful. For this I am saddened and apologetic. In no way do I support antisemitism or any form of discrimination, nor do I condone any forms of bias.”
After Jackson was criticized for making the comment saying West was "two steps ahead of everyone else" on a Facebook post the night before Vanderbilt's game against South Carolina, Jackson still coached in that game but later stepped away from the program for the remainder of the season while the investigation was ongoing.
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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football: Coach Dan Jackson violated social media policy
