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White Superintendent Posts ‘You Can’t Count On A Black Quarterback’ But Insists He Isn’t Racist

Lynn Redden apologized for not making the comment in a private message.

A white superintendent of a Texas school district is being called racist after posting a comment on a public Facebook page Monday that said, "you can't count on a black quarterback."

Onalaska ISD Superintendent Lynn Redden posted his comment on a Houston Chronicle Facebook page story about the recent loss by the Houston Texans.

In the post, he referenced the moment quarterback Deshaun Watson held the ball during the final seconds of the game.

"That may have been the most inept quarterback decision I've seen in the NFL," he wrote. "When you need precision decision making you can't count on a black quarterback."

Redden, who oversees the Onalaska school district about 100 miles north of Houston, said he thought he was responding to a private message from a friend. He said he immediately deleted the post when he realized it could be viewed by the public, reported the Chronicle.

"I totally regret it," he said in a phone interview with Chron.com.

In the phone interview on Monday, Redden claimed to understand how people may interpret the post as racist, but he said he didn't intend for it to come across that way. However, he never apologized for making the statement and instead tried to explain why he made the comment in the first place.

"Over the history of the NFL, [Black quarterbacks in the NFL] have had limited success," Redden told Chron.com.

Redden appears to be forgetting Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who became the second Black quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl win in 2013. Regardless, Redden’s statements were not only racist, but dangerous considering there are about 1,020 children who attend Onalaska ISD, according to a database from the Texas Tribune.

Redden said he hopes none of the students saw the post.

"I wish it had never been posted," he said.

On Tuesday, the school district posted a notice on its website that the school board would have a special meeting on Saturday to discuss Redden's contract.

"Onalaska ISD regrets that an inappropriate comment has been attributed to the district's superintendent. The OISD does not condone negative comments or actions against any race. The district values every individual and therefore the district will take the appropriate measures to address the situation expeditiously and completely,” the board said in a statement.

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