Vanderbilt football assistant Dan Jackson to 'step back' from program after controversy
Vanderbilt football defensive backs coach Dan Jackson will step back from the program while the university's Equal Opportunity and Access office reviews a comment defending Kanye West on Facebook, athletics director Candice Lee said in a statement Monday.
"To be clear, Vanderbilt rejects antisemitism, racism and discrimination in all its forms," the statement read in part. "Consistent with Vanderbilt’s process for addressing reports of discrimination, the matter has now been referred to our Equal Opportunity and Access office for review. It is important the university follow its standard process and conduct a thorough review of the complexities of this incident.
"Coach Jackson and I have agreed that he will step back from his responsibilities with the team during the Equal Opportunity and Access office’s review."
Jackson's comment stated that Kanye West is "two steps ahead of everyone else" after West had been heavily criticized and dropped by sponsors for espousing antisemitic conspiracy theories, and it led to criticism by the group Stop Antisemitism on Twitter.
After the incident, Jackson coached in Saturday's loss to South Carolina.
FOOTBALL MAILBAGWhat happened to Vanderbilt football's discipline? More on Dan Jackson.
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Aria Gerson covers Vanderbilt athletics for The Tennessean. Contact her at agerson@gannett.com or on Twitter @aria_gerson
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Vanderbilt football DBs coach Dan Jackson to step back from program
