Chattanooga assistant football coach Chris Malone was fired Thursday morning for a derogatory tweet directed at Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams that has since been deleted.
Malone’s original tweet from late Tuesday night read: “Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!! Enjoy the buffet Big Girl! You earned it!!! Hope the money was good, still not governor!”
After verifying the tweet was Malone’s the university and athletic department removed Malone from his position with the football team. His bio page has already been removed from the athletic department’s website.
Abrams is a former gubernatorial candidate and voting rights activist who helped turn out voters in Georgia for the Senate runoff election. Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff narrowly defeated Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.
“Last night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention,” Chattanooga director of athletics Mark Wharton said in a statement. “The entire post was appalling. The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our Athletics department or our University. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program.”
Malone was hired by the Mocs in 2019 as an offensive line coach, his second stint at Chattanooga. He previously held posts at Old Dominion, James Madison, Virginia State, and UMass. He was a four-year starter on the offensive line at Virginia Tech in the 1990s.
Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright also rebuked Malone’s tweet.
“Our football program has a clear set of standards,” Wright said in a statement. “Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not waiver on. What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for. Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff.”
