Ohio State President Gordon Gee isn’t known for being the most politically correct person and he has apparently stuck his foot in his mouth yet again. As reported by the AP, at a meeting of the school’s Athletic Council in December, Gee took jabs at Catholics, Notre Dame, and the SEC.
When speaking about the Big Ten’s efforts to get Notre Dame to join the conference over twenty years ago Gee said:
“The fathers are holy on Sunday, and they’re holy hell on the rest of the week.” Gee said to laughter at the Dec. 5 meeting attended by Athletic Director Gene Smith and several other athletic department members, along with professors and students.
“You just can’t trust those damn Catholics on a Thursday or a Friday, and so, literally, I can say that,” said Gee.
Ole shoot from the hip Gordon didn’t stop there. He proceeded to also question the integrity of the University of Louisville and the SEC.
The top goal of Big Ten presidents is to “make certain that we have institutions of like-minded academic integrity,” Gee said. “So you won’t see us adding Louisville,”
“You tell the SEC when they can learn to read and write, then they can figure out what we’re doing,” Gee said, when asked by a questioner how to respond to SEC fans who say the Big Ten can’t count because it now has 14 members.
It’s amazing what people will say behind closed doors when they think it will never reach public ears. Of course Gee issued an apology for his remarks after getting caught, which is usual among those faced with public scrutiny when their true feelings are revealed.
Failed attempt at humor or not, joking about someone’s race, religion, or sexual preference should be off-limits and the President of THE Ohio State University should know better. Amazing how a University that prides itself on a tradition of excelling in academics and athletics can have a leader that continuously allows his unfiltered mouth get him in trouble. Smarten Up G.
