DENVER
A University of Colorado football player has been suspended and his girlfriend, a cross-country-track runner, has quit the sports program after being accused of sending a racist e-mail to a Hispanic cross-country runner, the school announced.
The e-mail included a reference to dragging the man behind a car, recalling an incident in 1998 in Texas when a Black man was dragged to his death. The two athletes were cited for harassment and ethnic intimidation.
A news release from athletic department director Mike Bohn this weekend made no mention of the e-mail.
It said Clint O’Neal, a 6-foot-6, 305-pound starter and senior offensive tackle from Weatherford, Texas, was suspended for violation of team and athletic department rules. Bohn did not say how long the suspension would last. Colorado plays Clemson in the Champ Bowl on Dec. 27.
He said Jackie Zeigle, a junior from South Jordan, Utah, had told the university she was quitting the cross country and track programs for personal reasons.
Bohn said privacy rules prevented the disclosure of any other information in the case other than to say the decision on O’Neal was made after several meetings over the past few days.
