Kevin Sumlin: My wife and kids didn't feel safe about letter with threat and slur

Nick Bromberg
·College football and motorsports writer

Texas A&M’s Kevin Sumlin understands that criticism comes with being one of the most prominent football coaches in the state of Texas. But he said Saturday night that the letter he received at his house earlier this week crossed a line.

Earlier in the week, Sumlin’s wife posted a picture to Twitter of a letter addressed to the coach with a racial slur and a threat of “or else.” After Charlene Sumlin made the letter public, Texas A&M “unequivocally condemned” it.

“I’ve done this a long time. And I get lots of mail. I get a lot of it at the office — I get both positive and negative. I get criticism which that’s part of the job,” Sumlin said after his team’s win over Nicholls State. “I get suggestions, that’s part of the job. I think in this situation, for that to come to my home and for her to open it and read it, that’s completely different. My wife and kids have never called a play. My wife and kids have never done anything football-wise that led to us losing a game or winning a game. And so once you — it comes to my business, it’s fine. And suggestions, it’s fine. But the racial piece of that is one part of it but the open-ended threat at my house, I’ve got to draw the line there. So she didn’t like it, she didn’t feel safe about it. My kids didn’t feel safe about it.”

The Brazos County Sheriff has opened an investigation into the letter, which had the address of the Houston Country Club listed as the return address. The piece of mail came days after Texas A&M blew a 44-10 lead in a 45-44 loss to UCLA. Not long after the game a regent for the school posted to Facebook that he felt Sumlin should be fired.

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Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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