WSU Diversity Officer: Morgan Scalley Needs To Stand Up, Address Racism When He Sees It

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Now that Utah football defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley has been reinstated, he will be working to repair damaged relationships with players, fans, staff and future recruits.

Scalley was suspended in June after the University found out that Scalley sent a text that included a racial slur in 2013. After being reinstated, Scalley has to engage with leadership of the University’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion team.

He also received a pay cut and his recently agreed upon contract extension in December 2019 has been reduced to a one-year deal worth $525,000. Finally, Scalley and Utah Athletics Director Mark Harlan agreed to make Scalley the “head coach in waiting” in December 2019 but that offer has been rescinded.

Address Racism When He Sees It

Weber State University Chief Diversity Officer Adrienne Andrews joined the Nightside Project with Alex Kirry and Ethan Millard to discuss the steps for Scalley to repair his relationships but also to be a key player in addressing these issues at the University and the community.

“It sounds like coach Scalley has agreed to participate in ongoing education around diversity, equity and inclusion and to actually be a key player in addressing those issues at the institution and in the community and that is a fundamentally different step than engaging in hostile racist or oppressive behavior,” Andrews stated. “The curve he is facing is rebuilding trust with folks who have never seen that side of him or did not see him in that light. Now, he has to work to demonstrate that he is being a better man. We are going to have to see him stand up and address racism when he sees it. Instead of being a bystander.”

Last week, Utah rescinded the offer to make Morgan Scalley the "head coach in waiting." @TrevorASports & @TomCantHackett gave four candidates that could take over Utah's football program when Kyle Whittingham decides to retire.#GoUtes https://t.co/FqmO9GpWfL

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 6, 2020

Rebuilding Relationships

Andrews mentioned that reconciliation or restorative practice is a significant component for Scalley when beginning to rebuild relationships.

“The concept of reconciliation in many ways is a case-by-case situation,” Andrews said. “But I also think it speaks to what do we mean when we apologize. Do we mean we apologize and we won’t ever do it and be caught in public? Do we mean that we apologize and here are the behaviors that we are going to begin practicing because that is against what we believe in and who we are? Does that mean I own that statement or set of statements that I made and at the time, I wasn’t educated in the way that I am now? I think that reconciliation or restorative practice is such a significant component in whether or not we can try and return and rebuild the relationships. Based on the athletes, the coaching staff and administration, it sounds like everybody was willing to work to rebuild the relationship because there was enough of a foundation there and a commitment to owning what was wrong.”

"It probably is a slow build-up again.” – @19scottmitchell on @KSLunrivaled https://t.co/PM6uIQGIo5

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) July 4, 2020

You can listen to the full interview with Adrienne Andrews on the Nightside Project, here.

Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.