SWIM COACH APOLOGIZES FOR RACIAL SLUR

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 12, 1992                   TAG: 9202120037
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
SWIM COACH APOLOGIZES FOR RACIAL SLUR
A Virginia Tech swimmer who was the target of a racial remark by his coach last month said he is satisfied with the school's response to the incident.
Eric Thompson, a senior, confirmed Tuesday that Tech coach Wayne Norris referred to the swimmer with a racial slur after he was disqualified for making an illegal turn in a Jan. 18 meet in Blacksburg.
Norris has apologized to Thompson, Thompson's parents and the swim team; will attend multicultural counseling sessions at the school's request; and has been told that another similar incident could get him fired.
"I'm happy with the way it turned out," said Thompson, who said he and his parents asked that Norris not be fired over the incident. "I'm very disappointed the situation occurred. I'm glad it was handled in the way it was."
Athletic director Dave Braine said Tech's athletic administrators also will attend the counseling sessions at the request of Dr. Cornell Morton, assistant to the president for EO/AA. Thompson said some teammates have made remarks similar to Norris'; because of that, Braine said, all swim team members also are to attend the sessions.
Braine said the incident is "over and done with," although he said it will remain in Norris' personnel file.
Thompson said the incident occurred after he was disqualified from the race and while he was sitting with some team members. Norris walked up to him and said, "This is not meant to be a racial slur or anything, but what you did, only a dumb nigger would do."
The Preston Journal, a student newspaper at Tech, reported that Thompson and his teammates laughed at the remark. Not so, Thompson and Norris said.
"I looked down at the ground," said Thompson, who is from Woodbridge. "I was shocked. I did not think it was amusing."
Added Norris:
"Nobody laughed at it. Nobody did anything. Nobody heard me talking to Eric."
Thompson reported the incident to a Tech official the next day, then filed a harassment complaint with Tech's Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action office.
Memo: shorter version ran in the Metro edition.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB