Oklahoma State student apologizes for offensive ‘Trail of Tears’ sign

Generally speaking, when showing enthusiasm for one’s football team, it’s a good idea not to evoke, refer to or otherwise bring up unspeakable atrocities of the past.

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That seemingly simple rule was utterly ignored Saturday morning when some Oklahoma State fans posted a picture of themselves on Twitter holding up this sign referencing the infamous Trail of Tears.

Cause OK State was playing the Florida State Seminoles, see? So they thought this would be funny.

Twitter being Twitter, outrage spread swiftly. The Oklahoma State student who posted the picture to his Twitter page,  Austin Buchanan, has now released a statement apologizing for the insensitive sign. The statement reads in part:

"Though we did not set out to hurt or offend anyone when we made our banner, I see that it did just that. Referencing the Trail of Tears in such a flippant and disrespectful manner was insensitive and wrong, and I make no defense for our having had such a lapse in judgment. I apologize for our mistake. I am truly sorry.To all Native Americans: I hope you can and will forgive me for diminishing a part of your history that should never be made light of. I pledge that I will invest diligent study reacquainting myself with the horrors of Trail of Tears so I don’t repeat the mistake I made today.To the entire OSU family of administrators, students, student athletes, alumni, and fans: I embarrassed us today. I am sorry, and I hope you, as well, can forgive me. I love OSU. I want to contribute to, rather than take from, OSU’s positive image in the world. Today I failed in that effort. I promise to do better in the future. While I can’t promise I won’t make more mistakes, I commit to learn from them, hopefully becoming a better person in the process."

Buchanan also talks about some of the “hurtful, insensitive, and mean things” he has posted in the past on Twitter, things “that do not reflect the young man I want to be.” He has deactivated his Twitter account where he used other derogatory terms and slurs.

Twitter justice was swift and, in this case, appropriate. Keep yesterday’s horrific mass murders off your college football banners, kids. It’s not complicated.