Muskegon Catholic Central Terminates Basketball Announcer After Racially Charged Facebook Post

A volunteer basketball announcer for Muskegon Catholic Central has been terminated by the school following a 'racially charged statement' they posted on Facebook.

Tracy Lorenz made a post on Facebook saying

"Every year Catholic Central has me announce exactly ONE girl's basketball game. For the second year in a row it's Muskegon Heights."

Lorenz posted a photo of the roster with a list of names containing apostrophes.

After learning about this post Muskegon Catholic Central posted a message online.

In a statement to the community

A Message from our President, Ken R. Rasp:

Earlier this afternoon, a volunteer basketball announcer posted a statement on Facebook that does not express the thoughts and sentiments of Muskegon Catholic Central, nor our values. We have terminated the announcer who made today’s racially charged statement.

As the President of Muskegon Catholic Central, I write publicly to apologize to the Lady Tigers, their families, and the Muskegon Heights school community. I was stunned when I read what was written. I am saddened by this blatant disregard for the dignity of these young student-athletes and members of our Muskegon community.

Our mission calls for us to help build the Body of Christ, sharing God’s grace and mercy. As a Catholic faith community, celebrating the dignity of every person is core to our mission. Each person's unique identity is crafted around the name provided to them by their parents. We believe God calls each of us by name, even before birth. A person's name carries a level of sacredness with it.

We are excited about welcoming the Lady Tigers to Cioe Gym tomorrow evening to play the Lady Crusaders. Our hope is that the game allows the two teams the opportunity to show the joy of competition and sportsmanship.

Yours in Christ,
Ken R. Rasp
President, Muskegon Catholic Central

WZZM reached out to Tracy Lorenz on the phone and he said

I apologize to the school and everyone else that was offended.