Advertisement

Recruit Rashan Gary received racist call from alleged Clemson fan

Graham Watson

Rashan Gary, the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit for the 2016 class, received a racist phone call prior to his visit to Clemson.

According to a report from NorthJersey.com, a man who called himself “Clemson Dan” left a voicemail at the Paramus Catholic High School’s athletic department, the school where Gary played, around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 28.

[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for entertaining things you won’t see on the blog]

The voicemail contained a veiled threat to Gary, who ultimately signed with Michigan, regarding his visit to the Tigers.

"Yes, this here is 'Clemson Dan,' and this message is for Mr. Rashan Gary. We just wantin' to know if you're coming down here for a visit, you better be serious about it, 'cause there's only two things we love and that's Clemson football and the KKK.

So you better not be fooling around, if you're gonna get a visit, you better be committin'.

So, just be aware, this ain't no fooling thing. We Clemson. We big-time football down here.

We don't take no losers, no stragglers, no lazies, no dumb people...so if you're coming down here, you gotta do just like the KKK and be serious about your football.

So if you're coming down here, you better be serious. All right Rashan Gary, you better be the real deal. Over and out, this is "Clemson Dan" saying goodbye."

The Paramus Police Department is conducting an investigation and his issued a search warrant to find the phone number and trace the caller. A number did not show up in the school’s caller ID system.

They are not sure whether Clemson Dan is a real Clemson fan or a rival fan who was trying to taint Gary's recruiting.

Paramus Catholic school president Jim Vail said after he listened to the voicemail, he tried to get in touch with Gary and his mother, Jennifer Coney, who were on their way to Clemson, but couldn’t reach them because their phones were off. However, he did reach Clemson defensive coordinator Brent Venables, told him of the situation, and tried to guarantee the safety of Gray and his mother.

According to NorthJersey.com, Clemson assistant athletic director for communications Joe Galbraith said Venables got in touch with football administrators, the recruiting office, compliance and the Clemson police.

When Gary and Coney arrived at Clemson for their visit, Coney played the voicemail for the Clemson football representatives with whom they were meeting.

"I took the time to let everybody listen to the voicemail," Coney told NorthJersey.com. "And I'm telling you, everybody appeared shocked. They appeared distraught, like this is unbelievable."

[Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers]

While Coney said the call didn’t alter her son’s decision to choose Michigan over Clemson, she was dismayed that the school didn’t bring it up to her and her son first.

“That disturbed me,” Coney said. “I kept talking about it, like who is this ‘Clemson Dan?’ They didn’t seem too concerned about it. They kind of chuckled it off, after their initial shock.

“I think what just kind of got me was you knew, and they should have let me know that they knew.”

...

“It didn’t turn Rashan off of Clemson,” she said. “Remember, Rashan is a kid, and he thinks he’s invincible and nothing affects him. He loved Clemson and so did I.

“I just think that he felt overall – not just as a football player – [Michigan] would be the place where he’d benefit the most from going to school.”

For more Clemson news, visit TigerIllustrated.com.

Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter!

And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook