When a high school baseball player started sending emails to college coaches, one responded in a shocking way, according to Sports Illustrated.
Texas Wesleyan University baseball coach Mike Jeffcoat responded to this high schooler by saying that he no longer recruits from the state of Colorado because too many players in the past “have had trouble passing our drug test.”
Lol THIS really happened. Smh. pic.twitter.com/bF9ywQw15d
— Darren McKee (@dmac1043) February 28, 2018
Jeffcoat was clearly referencing Colorado’s marijuana laws and he even told the high schooler he could “thank [his] liberal politicians.”
When reporters reached out to the school for comment, it released a statement denouncing Jeffcoat’s email.
Texas Wesleyan’s Vice President John Veilleux said, “We do not condone discrimination. This includes discrimination on the basis of race, color, origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability or sexuality; or the political legislation of one’s home state.”
However, the statement also concluded with, “We are focused on building and recruiting champions of character.”
So, maybe if there aren’t any players of character in the entire state, the coach would be right to not recruit from Colorado, while also following the university’s policies.
While the coach may not like the state’s politics, it’s hard to argue that some of the best baseball players have come from Colorado. Players like Roy Halladay, Goose Gossage, Chase Headley, John Sterns and Mark Melancon all hail from the mile “high” city and its surrounding areas.
Jeffcoat spent 10 years in the major leagues, mainly with the Texas Rangers, before becoming the Texas Wesleyan University coach. He has been the coach for 16 seasons.