Nobody Acted Well In This Story

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

No, I don't think this teacher did anything wrong.  Rather than saying that, though, he said something completely stupid, which I'll paraphrase here:  this is how we black people play basketball.  Gawd, are you kidding me?

A middle school teacher who cultivated programs for Black students in Twin Rivers Unified School District is fighting his dismissal, contending he’s being unfairly punished over a one-off after school incident with a student he tried to help make the basketball team.

Jordan McGowan, a history teacher and basketball coach at Rio Tierra junior high school, further says his dismissal fits a pattern he experienced at the school in which he felt administrators showed signs of cultural insensitivity in discussions on civil rights and police shootings.

Does that mean if you don't agree with the black man, you're "culturally insensitive"?    Must be convenient to be able to have the "privilege" of tossing around such incendiary accusations, but let's continue: 

As far as he knows, his dismissal stems from an after-school practice with a Black student in which he practiced a common street basketball move that involves bouncing a ball off another player’s head. “I am being fired for playing basketball in the ways in which Black people play basketball within our own community. I am being fired for playing basketball in a culturally appropriate way, when those in power have little-to-no cultural connection to our community,” said McGowan. “This is just a microcosm of what I and other Black People have experienced at Rio (Tierra) and the district at large"...

McGowan’s public characterization of questions he faced during an investigation suggests officials pressed him on whether he has used a racial slur when communicating with Black students.

It's not a slur I'd get away with using, I'll tell you that.  Go read if you can't imagine what it is.

Apparently, though, playing the race card worked: 

Twin Rivers Board members unanimously rejected a proposal to dismiss a middle school teacher and basketball coach who had been on paid administrative leave since December...

He is still awaiting to hear from the district to decide the next steps moving forward.

Bottom line:  the kid isn't a joy to be around, the teacher likes to use his black skin as a shield, and the district took 4 months to decide unanimously not to fire him.  Does anyone in this story come out smelling like a rose?  If so, I missed that person.