Current:Home > reviewsMan awarded $25 million after Oklahoma newspaper mistakenly identified him as sports announcer who made racist comments -GrowthSphere Strategies
Man awarded $25 million after Oklahoma newspaper mistakenly identified him as sports announcer who made racist comments
View
Date:2025-04-14 19:26:57
An Oklahoma jury awarded a man $25 million on Monday after finding the state's largest newspaper defamed him when they mistakenly identified him as the announcer who made racist comments during a 2021 broadcast of a girls basketball game.
The jury in Muskogee County awarded Scott Sapulpa $5 million in actual damages and another $20 million in punitive damages.
"We're just so happy for Scott. Hopefully this will vindicate his name," said Michael Barkett, Sapulpa's attorney.
Sapulpa alleged defamation and the intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the jury found The Oklahoman acted with actual malice, which permitted them to consider punitive damages, Barkett said.
Lark-Marie Anton, a spokesperson for the newspaper's owner, Gannett, said in a statement the company was disappointed with the verdict and planned to appeal.
"There was no evidence presented to the jury that The Oklahoman acted with any awareness that what was reported was false or with any intention to harm the plaintiff in this case," Anton said.
The incident occurred in 2021 before the Norman-Midwest City girls high school basketball game when an announcer for a livestream cursed and called one team by a racial epithet as the players kneeled during the national anthem.
The broadcasters told their listeners on the livestream that they would return after a break. Then one, apparently not realizing the audio was still live, said: "They're kneeling? (Expletive) them," one of the men said. "I hope Norman gets their ass kicked ... (Expletive) (epithet)."
Sapulpa, one of two announcers, was initially identified by the newspaper as the person who made the racist comment.
Sapulpa's lawyers said that he faced threats after the incident.
"Sapulpa, once a respected teacher and coach, faced a barrage of threats, hate calls, and messages after the story was published and picked up by other media outlets, leading to his virtual termination from his position," lawyer Cassie Barkett said in a statement. "The impact extended to Sapulpa's personal life, forcing him to delete all social media accounts as his contact information went viral, resulting in further harassment."
Matt Rowan, the owner and operator of the streaming service, later told The Oklahoman he was the person who made the remarks. Rowan apologized and in a statement to TMZ, he blamed his use of racist language on his blood-sugar levels.
"I will state that I suffer Type 1 Diabetes and during the game, my sugar was spiking," Rowan said in a statement to TMZ. "While not excusing my remarks, it is not unusual when my sugar spikes that I become disoriented and often say things that are not appropriate as well as hurtful."
The Oklahoman said it corrected the online story within 2 ½ hours and Sapulpa's name did not appear in the print version of the story.
- In:
- Lawsuit
- Oklahoma
veryGood! (91642)
Related
- South Korean president's party divided over defiant martial law speech
- Caitlin Clark's rise parallels Tiger's early brilliance, from talent to skeptics
- Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Genovese to lead Northwestern State
- Nevada judge who ran for state treasurer pleads not guilty to federal fraud charges
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- It Ends With Us: Blake Lively Will Have Your Emotions Running High in Intense New Trailer
- Political divisions stall proposed gun policies in Pennsylvania, where assassin took aim at Trump
- Massachusetts House and Senate approve a $58B state budget deal
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Federal appeals court dismisses suit challenging Tennessee drag restrictions law
Ranking
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Heavy rain collapses part of ancient Michigan cave where ‘The Great Train Robbery’ was filmed
- Two-time Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson agrees to one-year deal with Ravens
- Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s Son Diagnosed With Rare Skin Condition
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- Get an Extra 70% Off J.Crew Sale Styles, an Extra 20% Off Pottery Barn Clearance & More Weekend Deals
- Trump says he'll end the inflation nightmare. Economists say Trumponomics could drive up prices.
- Florida man arrested, accused of making threats against Trump, Vance on social media
Recommendation
Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
A voter ID initiative gets approval to appear on the November ballot in Nevada
Three courts agree that a woman deemed wrongfully convicted should be freed. She still isn’t.
In a California gold rush town, some Black families are fighting for land taken from their ancestors
As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
Twisters' Daisy Edgar Jones Ended Up in Ambulance After Smoking Weed
Chiefs set deadline of 6 months to decide whether to renovate Arrowhead or build new — and where
Gen Z: Many stuck in 'parent trap,' needing financial help from Mom and Dad, survey finds