The lawyer representing Mimi Groves has accused the University of Tennessee of ‘caving in to hysteria’ after the white college student was kicked out over an old video.
In an interview with Fox News, Attorney Shan Wu said the University made a ‘rush to judgment’ after a short clip of Groves went viral on different social media platforms.
Groves, who was 15 at the time of making the clip, can be seen looking at the camera while saying: “I can drive, n******!”
Speaking to Fox News, Wu said: “Mimi was a kid when she did this. She’s appalled, and having said that, she’s not trying to excuse [her actions] in any way.
“What she lost was her dream. Like many athletes, she had worked most of her young adult life for a shot at going to a great school and being on their team. That was taken away from her in what can only be described as a rush to judgment.”
The lawyer also said that he felt the University “caved in – in a panic, to a lot of hysteria, a lot of social media going on – and they didn’t give her a meaningful investigation – which would have revealed that this happened years ago, and would have revealed the context of it.”
Groves, a champion-winning cheerleader, said in a statement given to the news outlet: “I’m not perfect. What I said several years ago as an adolescent, in a short 3 second clip was wrong, irresponsible, degrading and I take full responsibility for my actions – and will continue to learn and understand the history and true meaning of that word.”
She added: “I hope others learn from mistake and understand that words can hurt deeply, and it’s never OK to say a racial slur to anyone.”
The male student who got Groves kicked out of the university says he doesn’t regret it.
“I wanted to get her where she would understand the severity of that word,” Jimmy Galligan told The Times.
“If I never posted that video, nothing would have ever happened. I’m going to remind myself, you started something. You taught someone a lesson.”
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