NEW ORLEANS — St. Augustine High School said it is investigating a pre-game football chant that was recorded and emerged on social media this week. The chant includes a racist slur said by a coach and repeated by students.
The school said that the chant came to the attention of officials when it was posted after St. Aug's game against Brother Martin at Yulman Stadium on Friday. The school said that it is not aware of the source of the video.
Besides that recording, another video of the same chant before a different game this season was also found online.
In these videos, you can hear the repeated use of the 'N-word' from members of a coach and players on the football team.
One video looks to be from the October 4 game against Brother Martin, where they wore white jerseys. Another video appears to be before a different game. It's known the videos are from this season because players are wearing the "Coach Wash" decal on their helmets, made special for this year after the passing of the famed head coach.
The school sent out a statement to alumni and the Purple Knight family saying that prior to the contest, while in the locker room, a coach led the team in a chant that included a racial slur. The statement said that student-athletes were encouraged to repeat "the offensive and racist term."
"We are shocked and embarrassed that such blatantly offensive language would be used at any school event and directed toward our student-athletes and opponents. The words and actions of the coach and the players following his lead do not represent the values that St. Augustine has embodied for more than six decades," said Kenneth A. St. Charles, the school's president and CEO.
Charles said the school is conducting a thorough investigation and will use the results to determine further action.
A spokesperson at Brother Martin told Nola.com that the school was not aware of the chant.
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