University officials said on Thursday that an assistant soccer coach at the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga lost his job after Stacy Abrams and the state of Georgia were slandered in a tweet that laid bare unfounded allegations of election fraud.
Coach Chris Malone was in his second season as assistant and offensive line coach for Team Mocs, according to a biography removed from the university’s athletics website.
Mr. Malone made the derogatory comments about Mrs. Abrams, a former governor and one-time leader of the Democratic House of Representatives in Georgia, on Tuesday night after the US Senate run-off in Georgia – races won by Democrats that will give them control of the Senate. .
“Congratulations to GA State and Fat Albertstaceyabrams because you really showed America the real business of cheating again !!!” Mr. Malone wrote. “Enjoy Big Girl Buffet! You won it !!! Hope the money was good, I was still not ruling! “
Mr Malone later deleted the post, but not before others took screenshots of it and shared it widely on social media.
“That tweet was obnoxious, painful, and untrue,” Stephen R. Angel, the university’s director, said in a statement. A video published by the university on Thursday on YouTube. “Coach Malone is no longer part of this university.”
Mr. Angel said Mr. Malone failed to meet the expectations of the university’s faculty and staff to lead in a way that maintains a respectful and tolerant campus environment.
“The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga does not tolerate discrimination and hatred in all its forms and categorically condemns it,” said Mr. Angel.
Efforts to reach Mr. Malone were not immediately successful. His Twitter account has been deactivated, and a phone number for his address has not been listed on Chattanooga.
Ms. Abrams is credited with assisting President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to hold the mandate in November and in the victories of the Democratic candidates for the Senate this week. It fought efforts to suppress black voter participation across the country.
UT-Chattanooga has about 12,000 students. Mocs plays in the Southern Conference that Competition in fall sports, including football, has been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A university football coach, Rusty Wright, said in a statement that a member of his team crossed a line with a post on social media.
“What was posted on social media by one of my employees is unacceptable and it is not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for,” said Mr. Wright.
