WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Baylor University’s head football coach Dave Aranda apologized Wednesday for controversial comments he made during a news conference last week.
Aranda referenced a quote from the movie "Wolf of Wall Street" - in which the word midget is used several times referring to people with dwarfism.
“I wanted to say, I – the last time we spoke – had a misstep and hurt a bunch of people, so I apologize for that… That’s not what I intended to come across, so I’m sorry for that,” Aranda said to reporters on Wednesday.
The scene from the movie talks about throwing midgets, and Aranda compared it to coaching and recruiting.
Here’s the full transcript of Aranda’s comments:
“I probably shouldn’t bring this up with this being recorded, but there’s a scene in 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' where they’re talking about throwing midgets. It’s like, ‘Hey, this midget, uh, can he roll there?’ And you go, ‘No, he doesn’t roll. You throw him. You know what I mean? And they’re made for throwing.’ And then after a while, they start talking and they go, ‘Well, you know what? I think, if you start talking, they may think they know we’re making fun of them. The midgets may think we’re making fun of them. They may get mad at us.’ And then the guys go ‘Well, what we need to do is make them think they’re one of us.’ And they go ‘One of us, one of us.’ I think that’s the thing with coaching, call it recruiting, is it's that way. They talk about acquiring players, getting rid of players, just like that. And the whole thing underneath all that is they make them think they're one of us, you know what I mean? And it's like, but you - I don't know. Do you have to do that to win? You know, that sucks. Yeah.”
The advocacy group Mascots Matter had been calling for Aranda to apologize after the comments. In a note sent to Baylor University, the organization said: “As part of the ongoing efforts to combat ableism and support the rights of individuals with dwarfism and other disabilities, Mascots Matter calls on Coach Aranda and Baylor University to issue a public apology for the use of this derogatory term. This moment should also be used as an opportunity for education and awareness about the impact of harmful rhetoric and the importance of fostering an inclusive environment in all areas of life, including education and sports.”
Baylor University did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.
In a press release to 25 News, Mascots Matter describes its mission as a, “national advocacy campaign that seeks to eliminate derogatory language and imagery associated with dwarfism, focusing on both public and educational institutions.”
EDITORIAL NOTE: A previous article on this topic unintentionally mischaracterized comments and details in the course of reporting on the story. We sincerely apologize for those errors.
