An adjunct professor at Syracuse University’s College of Sport and Human Dynamics has been placed on leave after using the n-word in a discussion about “recent changes to the branding of professional sports organizations.”
According to The Daily Orange, Steven Warshaw was pondering how teams like the NFL’s Washington Commanders — formerly the Washington Redskins — have made changes to be “less offensive.”
During the discussion, students in the “Managing the Sport Organization” class say Warshaw used hypothetical examples such as the “New York Jews” and “Chicago N-words.”
Students said Warshaw’s hypothetical “kinda just shook the whole class,” was “throw out […] without any remorse,” and was not “justified” academically.
One student who requested anonymity claimed the racial slur “was the ‘peak’ of [Warshaw’s] inappropriate conduct throughout the semester.”
Another alleged Warshaw “continuously made students uncomfortable.”
“[Warshaw] made a (Shohei Ohtani) joke to an Asian kid who sits in the back of the class, and then did a comment about (Yao Ming) to the same guy,” the student told the Daily Orange. “(He also made a) sexist comment about how women dress in the sports world specifically with sideline reporting.”
Deans Jeremy Jordan and Chandice Haste-Jackson met with members of the class shortly after the incident where they engaged in a “great conversation.” Students were informed they would have a different teacher for “Managing the Sport Organization” for the rest of the semester.
Warshaw (pictured), a 1981 graduate of Syracuse, is president of Universal Sports Marketing, according to his Linkedin page. He’s previously served in marketing positions for various minor league basketball teams, and was executive VP of sales and marketing for the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins.
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IMAGES: I Love My Blackness/Facebook; Linkedin
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