PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — A quarterback who plays for Nease High School and committed to play for the University of Florida has had his scholarship revoked after he posted a video to social media with him rapping along to a song with a racial slur.
Marcus Stokes, who originally committed to Florida on July 7, posted Sunday on his Twitter page that his scholarship was revoked by the school.
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In the video, Stokes can be seen in a car and heard saying “welcome back,” followed by the slur, Sports Illustrated reports.
Here is his full statement:
“I was in my car listening to rap music, rapping along to the words and posted a video of it on social media. I deeply apologize for the words in the song that I chose to say. It was hurtful and offensive to many people, and I regret that. I fully accept the consequences for my actions and I respect the University of Florida’s decision to withdraw my scholarship offer to play football. My intention was never to hurt anybody and I recognize that even when going along with a song, my words still carry a lot of weight. I will strive to be better and to become the best version of myself both on and off the field. I know that learning from my mistakes is a first important step.”
According to 247 Sports, Stokes is a four-star recruit who was previously committed to Penn State before committing to Florida.
In response to Stokes’ tweet, some people on Twitter were speculating that Florida pulled his scholarship since the team picked up QB Jaden Rashada on the roster. On Friday, Nov. 11, Rashada, who is from California, announced he was flipping his commitment from Miami to Florida.
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