Oklahoma recruit drops commitment after video of racist chant emerges

A top-level football recruit withdrew his commitment to the University of Oklahoma on Monday, one day after a video was made public showing members of an on-campus fraternity engaging in a racist chant.

Four-star offensive line recruit Jean Delance said on Twitter that he was withdrawing his commitment to the Sooners. He did not specifically say why he decided to no longer attend Oklahoma, citing only “personal reasons.”

However, Delance later spoke with SoonersIllustrated.com and said his decision was motivated by the video, which shows members of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity repeatedly referring to lynching and using a racial slur.

After the video was made public by OU Unheard, a black student activist group, the university banned the fraternity from campus and shuttered its fraternity house.

Members of the Oklahoma football team, including Coach Bob Stoops, took part in a silent protest on campus against the fraternity’s racist chant.

“It’s sad the ignorance that can still be there with some people. It’s just appalling,” Stoops told the Tulsa World. “I was here to be with my guys. We all work with beautiful young men and women of all races. It’s just, you know, very little gets me choked up. But that hurt.”

Delance’s commitment, however, may have been on shaky ground before his decision on Monday. He earlier told Oklahoma coaches he was considering visits to other schools even though he had committed to the Sooners. He later told SoonerScoop.com that he was still fully committed to Oklahoma and he even tweeted photos of himself Saturday from a visit to Oklahoma.

Texas A&M and Texas are among the colleges that could be interested in signing Delance.