Racist SAE frat video costs Oklahoma a top football recruit

Jean Delance won't be playing for the University of Oklahoma
(Image credit: The Associated Press/YouTube)

The video of Sigma Alpha Epsilon's University of Oklahoma chapter cheerfully chanting the N-word, with a riff about lynching, has now hit the Sooners where it hurts: Football. On Monday, top football recruit Jean Delance de-committed from Oklahoma, two days after affirming his decision to play for the Sooners. He cited "personal reasons," but later acknowledged that the racist video was the driving factor.

Delance, a junior offensive tackle from Mesquite, Texas, is ranked a 4-star recruit by 247Sports, the No. 16 offensive tackle and the 167th overall prospect in the class of 2016. He'll be fine — Oklahoma's loss is some other team's gain.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.