Fresno State coach protests fan’s use of the ‘thug’ word
going to let a guy say that.”
In recent years, there has been much discussion of the connotations of that word when used to describe young, black men, most notably when it was used by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who is black, and President Barack Obama to refer to looters and vandals in Baltimore in the protests occurring after the Freddie Gray death in April 2015.
John H. McWhorter, an associate professor of English and comparative literature at Columbia University, told NPR in April 2015 that the meaning of “thug” has evolved. It originated in India, he said, and its meaning remained largely the same through the years.
“Until rather recently, it did mean what you might call a ruffian,” he said, which is the definition in the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
“But of course things have changed,” McWhorter said. “…The truth is that ‘thug’ today is a nominally polite way of using the N-word. Many people suspect it, and they are correct. When somebody talks about thugs ruining a place, it is almost impossible today that they are referring to somebody with blond hair. It is a sly way of saying there go those black people ruining things again. And anybody who wonders whether ‘thug’ is becoming the new N-word doesn’t need to. It most certainly is.”
The fan’s comment came with 9.8 seconds remaining in the game. Lobo guard Elijah Brown tried to split a double team on a press and collided with Bulldog Deshon Taylor, who was whistled for a foul. Brown made two free throws to help seal the UNM win.
Terry disagreed with the call and let the officiating crew know it, which led many in the Pit crowd announced at 11,844 to boo and heckle him.
But when one Lobo fan asked him what he expected when he has a roster full of
“THE TRUTH IS THAT ‘THUG’ TODAY IS A NOMINALLY POLITE WAY OF USING THE N-WORD. MANY PEOPLE SUSPECT IT, AND THEY ARE CORRECT.”
JOHN H. MCWHORTER, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, IN A 2015 INTERVIEW
thugs, Terry’s reaction was immediate and emotional, leading to a couple minutes of game stoppage. Terry immediately engaged the fan before the referees went over and intervened.
Lead official Randy McCall asked UNM to have a game day facilities employee go into the stands and sit next to the fan for the final seconds to defuse the situation. The fan was not asked to leave, and there is no plan to punish him.
The Mountain West had no comment Thursday on the handling of the situation. UNM athletics spokesman Frank Mercogliano said the school didn’t know specifically who made the comment but was “comfortable” with how it was handled.
UNM athletic director Paul Krebs spoke with Terry, the league offices, and Fresno State’s athletic director after the game. Terry declined follow-up comment on the matter Thursday. Krebs could not be reached to comment.
Before each game, UNM reads over the public address system a statement that applies to both fans and participants about adhering to sportsmanship policies set forth by the Mountain West Conference. The announcement includes a reference to a statement in the league’s bylaws that says it is the responsibility of each member institution to help “create a healthy environment for competition” for the teams to play in.
Meanwhile, reaction to the reaction seems to be polarizing. On KNML 610AM’s Thursday morning sports call-in show “The Opening Drive,” co-host J.J. Buck said callers were “probably about 50-50” on whether Terry’s reaction was out of line or the comment itself was.
A caller who identified himself as Mike said, “Growing up, I remember my grandmother would always be saying not to act like a thug. She didn’t mean anything racial. She just meant don’t be such a goon.” He added that Terry’s response only made things worse for his players.
A caller who ID’d herself as Becky told the show she would hope any coach would defend his players like Terry did.
“I would expect (Lobos coach Craig) Neal to do the same for his team,” she said.
One caller who ID’d herself as Catherine said she sat in front of the fan, and she gave her perspective on what happened after the foul was called.
“He (the fan) said something to the effect of, ‘What did you expect? You have a bunch of thugs on your team,’” Catherine said on the radio program. “Terry turned around immediately pointed in the general direction of the fan and said, ‘I don’t have thugs. These are good guys.’...
“I couldn’t take that any other way than insinuating something about race and about the quality and the character of his kids. So I don’t think it’s the normal ‘trying to get under the skin’ kind of comment. It wasn’t students razzing someone because they had a DUI at some point. It wasn’t that. And Rodney Terry’s reaction was visceral. You could see it when he turned around.”