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Breanna Robinson
Nov 01, 2022
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Kasey Funderburg, a sports reporter for the University of Tennesse and Vol Network sideline reporter, slammed a racist tweet - but then she got exposed for her own.
According to Knox News, an athletic department spokesperson said Funderburg,26, resigned on Thursday (27 October) due to her alleged racist tweets that resurfaced from 2013 to 2014 of her using the n-word.
The University of Tennessee didn't explicitly share a reason for her departure, the outlet noted. But, her biography page was removed from Vol's website.
However, a report from OutKick said that Funderburg was fired by the university after the tweets reemerged. She was roughly 17 or 18 years old at the time.
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On Saturday (29 October), Tennessee sported "dark mode" black uniforms during their win against Kentuck 44-6, making them remain undefeated.
And before the game, a popular satirical Tennessee Twitter account @RGW_News tweeted the following last Tuesday (24 October):
"Tennessee will be announcing Dark Mode for the 7pm matchup this Saturday against Kentucky.
"All fans will be asked to wear black clothes and paint their face all black as well."
This tweet reportedly prompted a response from Funderberg, who railed against the comment, calling it a "fake account" and saying that people shouldn't "believe everything you read on Twitter."
In another tweet, she also reportedly said that people who find humour in asking the team's fans to wear "blackface" is "disgusting."
It was at that moment that Knox News said other people on Twitter began to share racial slurs Funderberg shared to her alleged account between 2013 and 2014.
Others on the social media platform also seemed to come to her defence, mentioning that alleged the tweets were made when she was seemingly a minor. They also called her a "great employee."
There was even a Change.org petition urging the Vol Network to bring her back, and it garnered over 1,000. The petition is now closed.
Funderburg was a graduate of the University of Texas before becoming a full-time employee in the athletics department.
Indy100 reached out to Funderburg for comment via email.
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