Two prominent civil rights attorneys appeared on a virtual press conference Monday alongside the Norman High School girls basketball team to discuss the possibility of litigation against a broadcaster who swore at and used the n-word about them.
"Possible causes of actions would be the torts known as the negligent infliction of emotional distress and/or the intentional infliction of emotional distress," said Little Rock- and Chicago-based attorney Mike Laux, discussing potential legal action against announcer Matt Rowan and his Tahlequah-based company.
"Not at this time, but we are still looking at every aspect," said Florida-based civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has represented the families of prominent slain Black Americans such as George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, in response to a question about whether a lawsuit was currently being pursued.
"This is really more about getting their story out there than litigation, at this point," Laux said.
Several members of the team discussed their decision to kneel during the national anthem at a Thursday game, which prompted Rowan's racist outburst.
"What happened during the state tournament is exactly why we decided to kneel in the first place, to shed light to it and expose the hate in this world," said guard Myka Perry. "You don't have to agree with us kneeling but you do have to respect it, just how we respect peoples' decision to stay standing during the anthem."
"We all just decided to come as a team and kneel together because we wanted to bring attention and awareness to the fact that racism is still alive and well today, and just hearing those words, what he said, was very heartbreaking," said forward Chantae Embry.
Crump and Laux each praised the athletes during the press conference.
"I'm a girl dad, so I'm so proud to tell my 8-year-old daughter about what you all did," Crump said.
"All across America and the world, people have saluted these young ladies for standing up for what is right, to declare that racism has no place in this world," Crump said.
"This was more than just a racial slur, as ugly as it was," Laux said. "It was the imposition of a bankrupt philosophy on these young women, and on all of us as a nation, and it should be roundly refuted, and that's what we're doing here today.
"The fact that these young women went on to win the state championship blows my mind, and it speaks volumes ... to the kind of people that they are and the kind of leaders they will be."
Rowan last week issued an apology in which he blamed his diabetes for using racist language, an excuse that doctors and diabetes researchers have stated unequivocally is not a symptom of the disease.
In a Tuesday morning statement, the NFHS Network, which broadcast the game, said, "We strongly condemn Matt Rowan's racist comments, and we immediately and permanently severed all ties with him and his production company as soon as we learned about the incident. He will never work with us again. We firmly back the Norman High School girls basketball team and commit to rooting out racism in high school sports and throughout our society."
