Careful That Your New Coach Didn't Once Call A Player A Racial Slur

Lots of chatter today about new West Virginia coach Bill Stewart, who's the top dog over there now that he pulled off the big bowl game upset. It's possible that WVU might not have done their due diligence.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Stewart was fired from his only other coaching job, at Virginia Military Institute, because of a racial slur.

Stewart was accused in '96 of calling a Keydets player a racial slur in an October practice. The coaches and players cleared the air, many said afterward, but a school investigation resulted in Stewart's resignation." One of Stewart's defenders at the time was a former VMI graduate assistant under Stewart, who claimed he never heard Stewart use a racial slur. That former GA was current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

This, of course, makes Stewart specifically qualified to coach in West Virginia.

(Sorry. That was cheap. It's Friday.)

WVU Coach Quit VMI After Racial Slur Accusation [Sports By Brooks]