COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, expressing frustration Tuesday with the
Falcons’ slumping performance, attributed the latest loss in part to
No. 20 TCU’s having more Black players who “can run very, very well.”
DeBerry, in his 22nd year at the Air Force Academy, first mentioned the
academy’s lack of minority players compared to other schools while
talking to reporters Monday.
He said Air Force needed to recruit faster players. “We were looking at
things, like you don’t see many minority athletes in our program,”
DeBerry told The Gazette of Colorado Springs.
When questioned about the remarks during his weekly luncheon Tuesday, the coach didn’t hesitate to elaborate.
“It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very,
very well. That doesn’t mean that Caucasian kids and other descents
can’t run, but it’s very obvious to me they run extremely well,”
DeBerry said in remarks first broadcast Tuesday night by KWGN-TV in
Denver.
Academy officials released a statement saying they were aware of the remarks.
