Former USC wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., a second-round pick by the Indianapolis Colts, is taking a stand involving his likeness. He became aware of a USC booster’s Twitter account featuring him in the profile photo and asked them to remove him. The reason is that the booster continued to tweet about shooting protesters in Los Angeles.
Former LAPD Union attorney Marla Brown responded to several tweets about protesters and Antifa recently. She repeatedly said that the protesters need to be shot. Pittman saw these tweets and respectfully asked her to remove his photo from her account. He said that it’s important to stand together in times like these.
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@SoCalMAB if you truly believe the things you have said, I politely ask you to take me out of your profile picture. This is disappointing, I know my true Trojan family would never. In times like this, it is important for us to stand together. https://t.co/CH5aVAwiTz
— MPJ (@MikePitt_Jr) June 1, 2020
According to Sporting News, Brown responded to Pittman following his request. She reportedly said that the comments were “made in a fit of anger at circumstances in general.” She also said that the tweets were not “directed at anyone’s race.” She was just upset with all of the destruction.
Brown’s tweets about shooting the looters were not the only ones that drew attention over the weekend. She also responded to a tweet from physician Eugene Gu with a fiery message. Gu had said that “shooting protesters with live ammo” is a crime against the American people, which led to Brown’s response.
“You preaching from your ivory tower,” Brown wrote. “Let’s send them after you. Once the cop was arrested, it was over. But people like you promote destruction. No wonder the black community never improves it’s lot. No responsibility. No consequences. At this point they deserve the result.”
Following these tweets and the subsequent public outcry, USC has severed ties with Brown. The athletic department refunded her payments and flagged her account. She is no longer allowed to purchase tickets to USC events.
“Last night [Sunday night’ we were made aware of abhorrent and blatantly racist tweets from an individual who identified as a USC Football Booster,” athletic director Mike Bohn said in a statement. “Following an immediate investigation into the matter, we informed the individual that their season ticket and Trojan Athletic Fun membership privileges have been revoked and the payment will be promptly returned. Their account has been flagged in our system to prevent future purchases. Thank you to the USC community [for] helping us identify this individual so that we could move swiftly to terminate our relationship. We stand in solidarity with the Black community.”
