Albany State head coach Quinn Gray has released a statement in response to the backlash after extending an offer to white ex-Florida quarterback commit Marcus Stokes.
Stokes had his scholarship with Florida rescinded after a video surfaced of him using the N-word while rapping along to a song.
In the statement, Gray does not mention the quarterback by name but rather eludes to him during an apology.
— Albany State University (@AlbanyStateUniv) January 27, 2023
“Let me start with a humble apology,” wrote Gray. “An apology for not honoring the tradition and history of ASU and for letting many of you down. I didn’t uphold the Ramily standard that I know you expect. Please know that my decision to speak with a student that did not meet your expectations was unacceptable. I only wanted the best for our team, athletes, and institution when I invited the student to visit ASU.”
Gray, who was hired by Albany State in December, explained his decision to extend an offer to Stokes “was trying to help a student get back in competition.”
“In my haste, I did not consider the impact the decision would have on all of you,” he said. “Frankly, it wasn’t my place to use ASU as the platform for redemption in this case.”
Stokes’ offer from Albany State received national coverage and backlash.
Since the news of Albany State extending Stokes an offer went public, he has also received offers from Alabama A&M and the University of West Florida.
