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HBCU Albany State head football coach Quinn Gray issued an apology on Saturday for offering a scholarship to former Florida commit and 2023 4-star quarterback Marcus Stokes, though his statement didn’t mention Stokes by name.
Quinn Gray issued the apology after Stokes, who is White, filmed himself driving last November while singing along to a rap song with lyrics that contained the n-word.
The video went viral and prompted immediate social media outcry. Stokes had originally committed to play in his home state at the University of Florida on a scholarship, but the university rescinded that offer soon after the video surfaced.
Stokes quickly responded to the controversy once the video came to light. “I was in my car listening to rap music, rapping along to the words, and posted a video of it to social media,” Stokes said in a statement, according to CBS Sports. “I deeply apologize for the words in the song which I chose to say.”
While the student-athlete may have used rap as a scapegoat for his self-induced idiocy, in a statement which does not mention Stokes by name, Coach Gray made his thoughts clear after extending the offer to the controversial QB.
His apology read, in part:
“Let me start with a humble apology. An apology for not honoring the tradition and history of ASU and for letting many of you down. I didn’t uphold the Ramily standard that I know you expect. Please know that my decision to speak with a student that did not meet your expectations was unacceptable. I only wanted the best for our team, athletes, and institution when I invited the student to visit ASU. As I say to our players, “there is a consequence to every action.” The consequences of my actions brought pain to our University. I was trying to help a student get back in competition, and in my haste, I did not consider the impact the decision would have on all of you. Frankly, it wasn’t my place to use ASU as the platform for redemption in this case. I regret that I used flawed judgment. If given the opportunity, I will do better.”
Albany State head football coach Quinn Gray
HBCU Gameday’s Steven J. Gaither initially reported the scholarship offer has been rescinded.
Bleacher Report cites Stokes, who is considered the No. 31 quarterback in the Class of 2023 and the No. 93 player from the state of Florida, per 247Sports.com’s Composite Rankings.
“I deeply apologize for the words in the song that I chose to say,” Stokes wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “… I fully accept the consequences for my actions and I respect the University of Florida’s decision to withdraw my scholarship offer to play football.”
Stokes has since tweeted that he’s received offers from Alabama A&M—also an HBCU—and the University of West Florida.