Coach Quits Baseball League Board In Wake Of N-Word Controversy
OAK LAWN, Ill. (CBS) -- More backlash is heating up following the story about the former head of a youth baseball league in Oak Lawn who used a racial slur online recently.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, John Kelly had first stepped down as president of the Westside Baseball League of Oak Lawn when it was made public that he used the N-word in a Facebook posting about Whitney Houston.
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The SouthtownStar reported Kelly wrote, "I'm so sick of this dumb, stupid n****r Whitney Houston."
Kelly never denied writing the post, but said he didn't realize he had put it online. He posted the comment to his personal Facebook page, saying he was tired of hearing media coverage of Houston's death, and resented the fact that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie ordered flags flown at half-staff for her, the newspaper reported.
Kelly was initially just suspended by the baseball league and was banned from coaching for a year, but now, he has resigned from the league's board.
He had stepped down as president of the board on Feb. 20, but planned to continue as a member, the SouthtownStar reported.
"Kelly tells the SouthtownStar he has been receiving death threats, and he doesn't want to have to deal with that anymore. He told the newspaper that he was trying to volunteer to help kids at the baseball league, and "this is the (expletive) I have to go through."
Kelly continues to insist he is not racist.
