Youth Baseball League President Suspended For Racist Facebook Comment

Oak Lawn, IL Patch:

An Oak Lawn youth baseball league board suspended its president during a special meeting on Monday for a racist comment he posted on his personal Facebook page about the late singer Whitney Houston.

John Kelly, president of Westside Baseball--a youth league that offers baseball and softball programs for boys and girls--posted the comment early last week after the singer was found dead in the bathtub in her hotel room on February 11. Authorities have not yet announced the cause of Houston's death, but speculation is that a combination of drugs and alcohol may be involved.

Read the whole story: Oak Lawn, IL Patch

Comments

[MaureenN]

10:51 AM on 02/24/2012

I wonder if he sees the irony in his comment.

He decries whether Whitney Houston should be a role model for children, when she really doesn't have much actual influence on the day to day life of any children at all, beyond her celebrity. But, in that diatribe against her being seen as a role model (and his subsequent apology/self-justification), he displays behavior that I would not want my children to emulate in any way -and- he has day to day contact with children who he is supposed to be mentoring, coaching, acting as a role model to.

[Susan G]

08:25 PM on 02/22/2012

s

[Mailman]

08:37 AM on 02/22/2012

The problem is don't he remember all the white actors and comics that died from overdoses not that long ago.

[Peter007]

07:46 AM on 02/22/2012

This issue starting to infringe on the 1st amendment and the ability to speak ones mind about issues of the day.

Although the little league is not a direct government agency, it can be considered a quasi-government agency in that it uses public facilities to play on, and is supported by the local towns with some tax dollars.

The speech that needs to be protected is offensive speech and the constitution states that the government shall make no laws restricting political speech.
Applying pressure or firing someone for using offensive speech is the same as having a law that prohibits free speech.

[writerbeverly]

10:01 AM on 02/22/2012

Wrong.

I have the "right" to walk around my office, saying to every male co-worker, "What's up, d-ckhead?" My employers also have the right to ask me to modify my language, or even
terminate my employment if I cannot learn to show courtesy and respect to those I work with, if my big flapping mouth is creating a disruptive work environment.

In the case of a youth baseball volunteer, the other league volunteers have the right to remove any volunteer from his/her position, whether it's because of racist language or inappropriate behavior.

Nobody has the "right" to say and write anything s/he wants, while being protected from blowback from people who don't like it.

[Jasel]

11:38 PM on 02/22/2012

Thank you. It's amazing how many Americans don't understand the concept of the 1st amendment yet wax idiotic about it.

[booshh]

07:17 AM on 02/22/2012

People offended by racist comments are the problem--not the other way around.

[nikki717]

06:19 AM on 02/22/2012

There are few things worse than a racist. I have the believe that a racist who speaks ill against the recently deceased might be a step above that.

[letitbeme]

09:20 PM on 02/21/2012

if he were around then, i wonder what this jerk thought about elvis when he died.

[George Broadway]

07:29 PM on 02/21/2012

Really? The N word adds nothing to that diatribe. In fact, without it, it was actually a decent post. Of course, now that we all know he's racist that changes...

[citizenlegisators]

04:16 PM on 02/21/2012

Hey LIbs,,,,,, Kelly is a DEMOCRAT

[citizenlegisators]

04:17 PM on 02/21/2012

That is why he only got suspended and not fired

[tyger]

05:07 PM on 02/21/2012

proof?

[letuckerchicago]

03:58 PM on 02/21/2012

The old fashioned standards of adult behavior should have restrained this fellow from making these mean-spirited and self-destructive comments. Adults used to know this and taught it to young people - THINK before speaking.

[fairypixiedust8]

08:57 PM on 02/21/2012

Or better yet..."Do unto others as you'd have done unto you."