So the Aggies lost a football game on Sunday night and it's been a busy week of writing articles and talking on radio for yours truly since returning from L.A. The first week back on the grind is always tough and it's especially tough when you're trying to break down what happened during a truly inexplicable loss like the one we all saw unfold at the Rose Bowl. Emotions run high and, suddenly, for some reason folks begin to think it's okay for Aggies to attack Aggies all over message boards and on social media. It's rough out there on Aggie Twitter, in The Zoo and even inside the Premium forums. No one is safe and even I knew on the long flight home that there would be plenty of folks coming for their pound of e-flesh for me or anyone else who dared compliment this team or its coaches and players at any point during the six-month off-season.
Guess what? As far as I'm concerned, that comes with the territory. Doesn't mean I have to like it, but I feel like we at TexAgs have created a pretty nice gig, we receive a lot of positive attention and the community is usually an amazing place to convene to talk Aggie sports. It's comprised of not good but truly great people. All you need to do is look at the rich history of folks on this site helping others in time of need for proof of that. That's also the case when it comes to the Texas A&M fan and alumni base from coast to coast. From the Red, White and Blue Out to the Maroon Wall to this weekend's BTHO Harvey fundraiser and countless smaller acts of group and individual kindness in between, Aggies are always there to lend a helping hand.
Despite that, the fact of the matter is that frustration occasionally gets the best of some of us. It happens. You lost your mind on Sunday night and got banned from TexAgs? Take to Twitter and say that I'm a thin-skinned jerk, more power to you. The Aggies blow a 34-point lead and drop a game to UCLA that they had no business losing? Take to the TexAgs forums, call into the Finebaum Show and criticize Kevin Sumlin on Twitter until you get it all out. As far as I'm concerned, that too comes with the territory.
For Sumlin and college football coaches from coast to coast, thick skin and the ability to walk through life (especially when it comes to social media) with blinders on is virtually a job requirement. Like many college coaches, Kevin is testy and defensive with the media at times, but he understands that being second-guessed and even ripped for any failures (real or perceived) following losses like Sunday night's incredibly frustrating setback are part of what you sign up for when you put your John Hancock on a $5MM/yr contract.
What you don't sign up for, however, is for your family to be harassed by an angry fan at any point along the way, no matter how bad a game or season goes. And you damned sure don't sign up to be targeted by an card-carrying racist pig. Ever.
On Thursday night, Charlene Sumlin posted a picture of a hate-filled, racially-charged letter — complete with an utterly disgusting slur — that was either mailed or placed in the mailbox of the Sumlin home. My first feeling when I read the note was complete and utter disgust. "Who in their right mind could ever write that, send it and walk away feeling good about themselves?" Then came anger. "What I wouldn't give to be able to literally break the hand that wrote that letter..."
Now? I'm just saddened by it. Truth is, we may never know the monster who put those words — and THAT word — to paper. What I do know, however, is this: Kevin Sumlin is a friend of mine and has been since sometime around 2000, long before he or I ever imagined he'd be the head football coach at Texas A&M. That's also the time I got to know Char and their family, which at the time included their two daughters, Courtney and Shelby, and didn't quite yet include Jackson and Joey. We lit a cigar when he was promoted to offensive coordinator by R.C. Slocum back in 2002 and I spent the afternoon with Kevin and his parents when he was coaching in Norman following 77-0. Since he took over in College Station, it hasn't always been easy ... especially with me covering his team through some tough times of late. We certainly don't always see eye to eye and have had our differences but the friendship will survive his time at A&M whether he's ultimately fired (something I'd cover as extensively and in-depth as I did his hiring in 2012), leaves Aggieland on his own accord or retires in the Maroon & White several years from now.
So last night, a friend and his family had to experience all of the anger, rage, unimaginable frustration, probably even a slight loss of faith in humanity that comes with a racially-motivated attack (and that's exactly what this was) and that makes me sick. And for what? Because he's not winning enough football games for this cowardly racists taste? Because a fan of another school went out of their way to give Texas A&M a very public black eye? To kick a man when he's down?
Well, even though the thought of Char or Kevin (or God forbid one of their children) opening that letter makes me cringe, I do know this much: The Aggie head coach won't let this outwardly phase him. I spoke to him this evening not to talk about the UCLA loss but simply to let him know how disgusted I was to see that letter and I could hear the disappointment in his voice. Then again, I know that Sumlin will do the same thing that his late father, Bill, did when he dealt with racism every day while growing up and later serving as a high school coach in the segregated South. He'll persevere. He'll also focus on the task at hand, which is figuring out how to get his team to bounce back from a bitterly-disappointing season-opening loss, setting the same example for his players that his father set for him as a young man, which is to not allow hate or prejudice derail your day, your drive or your dream.
That's especially true when the message comes from a single, cowardly and (shocker) anonymous source. Make no mistake, this racist toad in no way represents the Aggie fan as a whole. That's another part of this story that saddens me. Like most of you, I wear my Aggie Ring proudly and I live in this community. Just like the jackass who left a particularly hateful note on then-A&M quarterback Corey Pullig's car 20 years ago following a big-game loss, the author of the Sumlin note does not accurately represent the 12th Man and the spirit of what being an Aggie is about (assuming the culprit actually attended the university). Unfortunately, most who pick up this story won't include that disclaimer and our school takes the hit and the sad thing is there are rival recruiters, both white and black alike mind you, who will attempt to use this story to their advantage without conscience. Don't fault Char Sumlin for letting that note go public and quickly go viral, however, because it's important for us to get the occasional, disturbing reminder that this type of crap hasn't gone away simply because there are more coaches of color today than there were 10, 15 or 20 years ago.
Sumlin likely felt as if he was fighting for his job this week and I'm sure he was. He may well be doing so between now and November, feeling the pressure and riding the wave of each win or loss. That's what he signed up for when he took over in Aggieland and parlayed a white-hot start into a big, SEC-caliber financial windfall. What he didn't think he'd be fighting this week was unabashed racism and I wish I knew who the scumbag was that woke up Monday and thought a football game gave them a license to be a bigoted animal.
Consider this my letter and feel free to include your own on this thread. This doesn't have anything to do with wins or losses and won't have any bearing whatsoever on Sumlin's future in Aggieland. As far as the present is concerned, I'm of the opinion that it would be nice to give the head coach and his family something to smile about today in light of what happened yesterday.
And if you disagree and think language such as the one in that letter is acceptable, please cancel your subscription because you and your money aren't wanted on the site or this community that we've worked so hard to build.
