TCU Assistant Athletic Director for Complicance Greg Featherston issued an apology Friday after making insensitive comments regarding the Texas A&M bonfire tragedy on his Facebook page.
Featherston’s original comments, which were posted on Wednesday, said that “if the number of students that were victims of what amounted to drunken, negligent homicide on the part of that cow college didn’t match so perfectly with the cult’s favorite number, I doubt you would have seen anything like this done.”
The University of Texas graduate’s comments were in response to A&M recently deciding to leave 12 seats at Kyle Field open for the victims of the bonfire tragedy.
Featherston shared the article and wrote that while he “didn’t write the response below” he “could have.”
According to the Fort Worth-Star Telegram’s article on the situation, “the tragedy occurred Nov. 18, 1999, when students were working on the bonfire, a mammoth stack of wood that was to be ignited Thanksgiving night before A&M’s game against the University of Texas. The stack of wood collapsed at 2:42 a.m., killing 12 students, including two from Tarrant County: Jerry Don Self of Arlington and Chad Powell of Keller. Another 27 students were injured.”
TCU administration also released a statement on Featherston’s comments Friday.
“Comments made by TCU employees on their personal social media accounts do not represent the university,” the release says. “Greg has apologized for this post on his personal Facebook page. We expect our employees to behave in an appropriate manner. This behavior clearly does not live up to our standards.”
Chris Del Conte, TCU director of athletics, said that the comments don’t reflect TCU and that he personally apologizes to anyone who was negatively affected by them.
Several people tweeted their opinions on the matter to TCU Athletics’ Twitter page after the apology was issued.
.@TCU_Athletics Wow. Greg Featherston sure stuck his entire foot in his mouth today didn’t he? What an embarrassment for TCU.
— Scott (@PoliticalScott) February 22, 2014
@TCU_Athletics It’s sad that Greg Featherston is so callous. His comment about Aggie bonfire is reprehensible. TCU is better than that.
— Kathy Bolner (@kathybolner) February 22, 2014
One person had a message for Featherston about the ‘C’ in TCU.
Greg Featherston deleted his Facebook. Maybe you should spend that free time from the computer learning what the C in TCU stands for
— Kellie (@Kellie_Lynn2013) February 21, 2014
Featherston’s Facebook page is no longer up at the time this article is being written.
According to TCU Compliance’s website, “TCU is committed and obligated to the principle of institutional control in operating its Athletics Department in a manner that is consistent with the letter and the spirit of the NCAA, Big 12 and University rules and regulations.”
