Sports reporter, who resigned from Tennessee athletics over old tweets, hired by university system

Kasey Funderburg, who resigned as a University of Tennessee sports reporter after apologizing for racist language she used on Twitter when she was in high school, has been hired as a Tennessee System employee.

Funderburg is a digital content strategist for the Tennessee System office of communications and marketing. She was hired in January, two months after her resignation from Tennessee  athletics, according to Tennessee System spokesperson Tiffany Carpenter.

Funderburg did not immediately respond to a Knoxville News request for comment.

The Tennessee System office is located in Knoxville, Tennessee, but not on campus, and it is a separate entity from the university. The Tennessee System comprises five campuses: the flagship University of Tennessee campus in Knoxville, as well as  universities in Chattanooga, Martin and Pulaski and the Health Science Center at Memphis.

"As part of the hiring process, all finalists personally interviewed with UT System President Randy Boyd in addition to our search committee," Carpenter said. "Through those multiple conversations, we were more than satisfied with the quality of her character, and her extraordinary work portfolio and experience."

What preceded Kasey Funderburg's resignation?

Funderburg, 27, is a Tennessee graduate and was a full-time employee in the athletics department. She served as an on-air personality for VFL Films and "Vol Calls," the popular weekly call-in show for Tennessee coaches. And she was a sideline reporter for Vol Network.

In October, Outkick.com reported Funderburg was fired by Tennessee after tweets surfaced showing her writing racist slurs in 2013 and 2014. At the time of the tweets, Funderburg was 17 or 18 years old and a student at Sevier County High, where she was a member of the cross country, track and field and basketball teams.

STAY UP-TO-DATE: Subscribe to our Sports newsletter now!

Tennessee did not provide a reason for her departure because a spokesperson said she resigned. At the time, Funderburg apologized for her past tweets.

"The comments I tweeted as a high school student were unacceptable and ignorant," Funderburg wrote in a statement. "I sincerely apologize for using offensive language and to anyone I hurt or offended with those remarks. I take full responsibility for my actions. This language is not appropriate in any context and has not been part of my vocabulary since then."

Funderburg’s role as VFL Films host has not been filled. Former Tennessee wide receiver Jayson Swain served as Vol Network sideline reporter for the remainder of the 2022 football season.

Parody account started Twitter controversy

In October, Tennessee football wore "dark mode" black uniforms against Kentucky.

A parody Twitter account that goes by the name "Richard G. West" posted: "All fans will be asked to wear black clothes and paint their face all black as well."

Funderburg replied with a warning to Tennessee fans and an admonishment to the account’s unidentified user.

"THIS IS A FAKE ACCOUNT and it’s disgusting that this person thinks putting out a joke like this is okay. Please don’t believe everything you read on Twitter," she posted.

Later in the Twitter thread, she posted: "A person who thinks it’s funny to put out that Tennessee is asking fans to wear blackface is disgusting. This is where I stand."

Other Twitter accounts then shared screenshots showing racial slurs were posted from Funderburg’s account when she was a high school student. She resigned two days later.

"At the University of Tennessee, I worked in the athletic department and joined the University’s Diversity and Inclusion group which afforded me the opportunity to learn additional valuable lessons about the viewpoints of people from different races, cultures, and countries, as well as the strength that such diversity provides," Funderburg said in a statement.

"Moving forward, I will continue my work to be a better ally so that I may promote a more inclusive society where everyone is welcome. Thank you to all the University of Tennessee teams I covered, my coworkers and fans who have supposed me over the years. I remain grateful. Sincerely, Kasey."

How Kasey Funderburg landed her new job

In October, the Tennessee System digital content strategist job opened after an employee left for another position.

The position was posted in November, and Funderburg was selected among three finalists as the most qualified candidate.

"Kasey was the only candidate in our pool who had outstanding experience in all three of the categories we needed for this job," Carpenter said. "This job involves being a photographer, videographer and social media manager. And she was the only candidate that had experience in all three."

Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Twitter @AdamSparks.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Kasey Funderburg who resigned over tweets hired by Tennessee system