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Friday, March 29, 2024

Game postponed after racist, violent posts

Credit: WAAY ABC Huntsville, AL
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Game postponed after racist, violent posts
Game postponed after racist, violent posts
Game postponed after racist, violent posts

You're taking a live look at milton frank stadium where huntsville and grissom high schools were supposed to play on friday -- but the game was postponed over disturbing social media posts.

Thank you for joining us tonight -- i'm dan shaffer.

And i'm najahe sherman.

District officials described those posts as violent and racist.

Waay 31's will robinson-smith is live outside the stadium tonight.

He's seen two of the posts and spoke with school board members about them.

Will... huntsville and grissom high schools have a rivalry game here every year and, usually, there are some good-spirited jabs between the two.

But school board members i spoke with tonight say these posts went entirely too far.

The rivalry game between grissom and huntsville is one that students wait for all year.

Anticipation for the game this week was stopped in its tracks wednesday when huntsville city schools said violent and racist memes were used in the context of "rivalry material."

Elisa ferrell, president, huntsville city school board ms. finley used the word 'disappointing.'

It is disappointing.

It's also shocking because you expect better from our students.

One of the images shows chris brown and rhianna together with the label "huntsville" over brown and "grissom" over rhianna.

Brown was sentenced in 2009 for assaulting rhianna.

Will robinson-smith another image -- which waay 31 is choosing not to publish -- shows dereck chauvin with his knee on george floyd's neck when he was killed.

In this image -- chauvin has the huntsville high school label -- floyd has the grissom label.

School board member carlos matthews says he was surprised and saddened to see this from students.

Carlos matthews, huntsville city school board member especially in this day and age, with the things that are going on around the country, the divisiveness that we've seen on different issues.

So i was very surprised to see it, but at the same time, the underlying issue is what we've got to get to.

The matchup between the schools is now postponed until september 24.

School board president elisa ferrell says that will give students some time back in the classroom so teachers can talk to them about this and reinforce that racisim and violence quote "will not be tolerated."

Elisa ferrell, president, huntsville city school board the things that they put on instagram and facebook, they don't go away.

Someone has a screenshot, someone remembers and it is going to come up over and over again, so be better.

The school system says it is investigating those involved with the posts and they will be disciplined according to the behavioral learning guide.

Reporting live in huntsville -- will robinson-smith -- waay 31 news.

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