Fellow safety C.J. — Jonathan Sutherland (@jay_suth) October 8, 2019. Sutherland’s teammate, Antonio Shelton, shared a photo of the letter on Twitter and wrote, “One of my teammates got this. READ MORE: ... A young fan named Mason Young decided to write his own letter in support of Sutherland’s long dreadlocks. We’re a family.”. ", Franklin later added: "Jonathan Sutherland is one of the most respected players in our program. I got a couple awful letters after I got tattoos before sophomore year from OSU ‘fans’ too, letting me know how disappointed they were in my decision.". The letter was addressed to “Jonathan” and mentioned dreadlocks. Dave Petersen is a … Updated Jonathan Sutherland D.J. Franklin ended his opening statement with a similar sentiment. Loved the competition but never had the size or talent to reach your level, though the desire was there! Penn State Nittany Lions confiscated T-shirts supporting Jonathan Sutherland, who had received a letter from a purported Penn State alum criticizing his dreadlocks. Penn State's Jonathan Sutherland still has the letter he received last October, the one from a Penn State graduate and sports fan that said Sutherland's "shoulder length dreadlocks look disgusting." The only Jonathan on the team is Jonathan Sutherland, who has dreadlocks. "I'm pretty sure whoever wrote that letter," Toney said, "if they met Jonathan Sutherland, they'd want their kid to be like him." California becomes the first state to ban discrimination based on natural hairstyles. Sutherland has yet to address the letter on social media. We strongly condemn this message or any message of intolerance.”. Watching the Idaho game on TV, we couldn’t help but notice your–well–awful hair. “Although the message was indeed rude, ignorant and judging, I’ve taken no personal offense to it because personally, I must respect you as a person before I respect your opinion,” he wrote. Holmes posted a photo of the letter on Twitter on Monday. He has one brother, Liam. “At the end of the day, without an apology given I forgive this individual because I’m nowhere close to being perfect and I expect God to forgive me for all the wrong I’ve done in my life.”. Gavin Newsom, middle, signs State Bill, SB-188 Discrimination: hairstyles by state Sen. Holly Mitchell of Los Angeles, third from left, that bans workplace and school discrimination against black people for wearing natural hairstyles, including locks and braids. Holmes posted a letter from a fan addressed to teammate Jonathan Sutherland on Twitter on Monday that asked Sutherland to … "We congratulate you on your game against Pitt, but you need to remember you represent all Penn Staters both current and alumni from years past. Penn State coach James Franklin defended safety Jonathan Sutherland on Tuesday during his weekly press conference after his star defensive back received a largely racist letter … Penn State is now 5-0 and ranked Number 10 in The Associated Press Top 25. Sandy Barbour, Penn State's vice president for intercollegiate athletics, shared her support for Sutherland on social media on Tuesday. They're all in that locker room together. Penn State Coach James Franklin said that the game he loves brings people of all different backgrounds together – both in the stands and in the locker room. Aaron Hicks exited the Yankees' lineup on Monday night following the police shooting of Minnesota resident Daunte Wright. Teams all over this country are the purest form of humanity that we have. Success! Nittany Lions safety Jonathan Sutherland received a letter from a Penn State alum that called his dreadlocks "disgusting" and longed for the days of "clean cut young men and women." "Their dress, tattoos, or hairstyle has no impact on my support, nor does their gender, skin color, sexuality or religion!". STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 14: Jonathan Sutherland #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a … "Though the athletes of today are certainly superior to those in my days; we miss the clean cut young men and women from those days. Peterson This week, Penn State football's defensive tackle Antonio Shelton posted a photograph on Twitter of a letter his … Sutherland received this derogatory letter from a Penn State alum Monday. It said: "My wife and I are proud ‘older’ graduates of Penn State. Here’s the letter. — Jonathan Sutherland (@jay_suth) October 8, 2019 In the note, he forgave the fan, saying "I forgive this individual because I'm nowhere close to perfect and I expect God to forgive me for all the wrong I've done in my life." "I stand with our Penn State student athletes and appreciate how they represent PSU in competition, in the classroom and in the community," he said. Exit Full Screen. 26, team captain Jonathan Sutherland, a key member of the Nittany Lions’ special teams unit. Sutherland responded to the letter with a tweet Tuesday. Popovich: "His family’s grieving and his friends are grieving and we just keep moving on as if nothing’s happened.". He is the son of Sylvie and Everton Sutherland. National media attention has surrounded Penn State football player Jonathan Sutherland after a letter from a fan admonished him for wearing his hair in long dreadlocks. The well-being of students, faculty and staff members is the University’s priority," the university said, per pennlive.com. Jonathan Sutherland signs letter of intent to Penn... Jan 20, 2017: O. The hosts of ESPN’s College GameDay took some time in Saturday’s broadcast to address the racist letter sent to Penn State safety Jonathan Sutherland earlier this week. — Jonathan Sutherland (@jay_suth) October 8, 2019 The statement was a graceful response to the letter, which Sutherland described as “rude, ignorant, and judging.” It comes after plenty of fans and teammates had rallied around him in disapproval of the letter from a sender known as Dave Petersen. Penn State running back C.J. A Penn State fan sent a racist letter to safety Jonathan Sutherland criticizing his dreadlocks. Jonathan Sutherland Letter. A.J. To complete your CNN profile and ensure you are able to receive important account information, please verify your email address. In the letter, the alum called Sutherland’s hair “awful” and wrote “don’t you have parents or girlfriends who’ve told you those shoulder length dreadlocks look disgusting and are certainly not attractive?” Verification email has been resent. The letter was sent to No. “You will certainly be playing 'on Sunday' in the future but we have stopped watching the NFL due to the disgusting tattoos, awful hair and immature antics in the end zone. Long hair, short hair, no hair. Holmes posted a photo of the letter on Twitter on Monday. "I also have locs, Tats, and NFL dreams too, these messages can not be tolerated, this was extremely inappropriate, racially biased, and selfish to feel like you even have a right to send this message," Holmes said on Twitter about the letter. “Teams all over this country are the purest form of humanity that we have,” Franklin said at a Tuesday news conference. The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown, Penn. Surely there must be mirrors in the locker room! Sutherland … Password reset email has been resent. contacted the letter writer, David Peterson, on Tuesday. "This is pathetic but I’m not surprised. He was asked about his hair earlier this season and said he’s worn it this way since he was a kid. Players should act as though they’ve ‘been there before.’ [sic]". “I would be so blessed if my daughters would marry someone with his character and integrity,” Franklin said. The Penn State alumnus who wrote a “racist” letter to defensive back Jonathan Sutherland has said that making a racial or cultural statement “was not the intent at all.” Penn State football player receives letter criticizing his dreadlocks. Penn State said that it can not confirm if the letter is authentic, or if the author was really an alumni, but it condemned the letter on Twitter. "As part of this, Penn State provides a range of assistance and resources for students and employees, and we encourage any community member who needs support to reach out.”. "The football that I know and love brings people together and embraces differences," he said. The man wrote that he couldn’t help noticing Sutherland’s “awful hair” during the home opener against the University of Idaho. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. 5:49 PM EDT, Wed October 9, 2019, STATE COLLEGE, PA - SEPTEMBER 14: Jonathan Sutherland #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after a tackle against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at Beaver Stadium on September 14, 2019 in State College, Pennsylvania. Son of Sylvie and Everton Sutherland would be so blessed if my daughters would marry someone with his character integrity... 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