WASHINGTON — Two expelled University of Oklahoma students pictured in a fraternity’s racist video have issued apologies.聽Parker Rice, 聽a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity,聽is standing during the bus ride, chanting and encouraging others to sing along. 聽Another student identified in the video is 聽Levi Pettit.
Statement by Parker Rice, via his father Bob, sent to the :
鈥淚 am deeply sorry for what I did Saturday night. It was wrong and reckless. I made a horrible mistake by joining into the singing and encouraging others to do the same. On Monday, I withdrew from the university, and sadly, at this moment our family is not able to be in our home because of threatening calls as well as frightening talk on social media.
鈥淚 know everyone wants to know why or how this happened. I admit it likely was fueled by alcohol consumed at the house before the bus trip, but that鈥檚 not an excuse. Yes, the song was taught to us, but that too doesn鈥檛 work as an explanation. It鈥檚 more important to acknowledge what I did and what I didn鈥檛 do. I didn鈥檛 say no, and I clearly dismissed an important value I learned at my beloved high school, Dallas Jesuit. We were taught to be 鈥楳en for Others.鈥� I failed in that regard, and in those moments, I also completely ignored the core values and ethics I learned from my parents and others.
鈥淎t this point, all I can do is be thoughtful and prayerful about my next steps, but I am also concerned about the fraternity friends still on campus. Apparently, they are feeling unsafe and some have been harassed by others. Hopefully, the university will protect them.
鈥淔or me, this is a devastating lesson and I am seeking guidance on how I can learn from this and make sure it never happens again. My goal for the long-term is to be a man who has the heart and the courage to reject racism wherever I see or experience it in the future.
鈥淭hank you for your consideration of my deepest apologies for what I did.鈥�
Statement by Brody & Susan Pettit, posted online at :
As parents of Levi, we love him and care for him deeply. He made a horrible mistake, and will live with the consequences forever. However, we also know the depth of our son鈥檚 character. He is a good boy, but what we saw in those videos is disgusting. While it may be difficult for those who only know Levi from the video to understand, we know his heart, and he is not a racist. We raised him to be loving and inclusive and we all remain surrounded by a diverse, close-knit group of friends.
We were as shocked and saddened by this news as anyone. Of course, we are sad for our son 鈥� but more importantly, we apologize to the community he has hurt. We would also like to apologize to the 鈥� entire African American community, University of Oklahoma student body and administration. Our family has the responsibility to apologize, and also to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. Our words will only go so far 鈥� as a family, we commit to following our words with deeds.
To our friends and family, thank you for your kind comments and prayers. They are very comforting in this difficult time.
We ask that the media and public please respect our family鈥檚 privacy as we come together to heal and determine next steps.
