Editorial: Forget football, letter to Kevin Sumlin is just racist garbage

Earlier this evening, Charlene Sumlin, wife of Texas A&M head football coach Kevin Sumlin, tweeted a photo of a hateful, racist letter that was mailed to the Sumlin family home. The note lazily mentions Sumlin's coaching ability, but its true aim has nothing to do with football at all. These words were intended to disrespect Kevin Sumlin as a man and to wound and denigrate his family. They are not from an angry football fan; they are from a dark-hearted, lost soul.

We don't know who wrote it and we probably never will, but without hesitation we say this person does not represent Aggies or Aggie fans. Coach Sumlin and his family are part of the Aggie family. We stand shoulder to shoulder with them, football games be damned.

It should go without saying, but this is a moment when it's important to say even the obvious: TexAgs thrives on lively discussion about Aggie sports, but this note is not even in that universe. From day one, a guiding ethic of our community has been that frustration about games will never justify personal attacks. We always have and always will urge Aggies (and anyone else) to never allow fandom or sports rivalries to erode your capacity for human decency or your sanity.

To Kevin and Charlene Sumlin, the Sumlin children, and the players and other members of the Aggie family impacted by the hateful words of a single fool, our thoughts and prayers are with you tonight. We link arms with tens of thousands of other Aggies in support of you.

The TexAgs Team