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Goutham Sundaram, the University of Portland senior tennis player who was booted off the men's tennis roster on Monday for his inappropriate remarks during the university's athletic banquet, wrote a letter to the editor to The Beacon, UP's student newspaper.
In it, he apologizes for his opening monologue, which focused on how his main goal in school was getting white women to have sex with him.
"When I wrote the script for the Wally's, I hoped to use self-deprecation and irony as a tool for sharing a few stories about my immigrant and diaspora experience," Sundarum writes. "I realize now that it does not matter what was written in jest or what was said in sarcasm; the crux of the content was grossly inappropriate, and I am unquestionably in the wrong for that."
Olivia Sanchez, a rower and the news managing editor of The Beacon, wrote an op-ed critiquing Sundaram's "violent, misogynistic" remarks.
An athletic administrator, as WW earlier reported, sent out an email to student athletes, coaches and athletic staff with Sundaram's initial apology.
Sundaram's remarks led some in the audience to walk out of the event, including former Portland Trail Blazers player Terry Porter. However, University President Fr. Mark Poorman remained seated.
Poorman later received backlash from UP community members. On Monday, he sent a campus-wide email apologizing for his failure to take action. After receiving more criticism, Poorman sent another comprehensive apology on Tuesday where he promises to do more.
And just a few hours ago, Sundaram, who is now going through the student conduct review process, wrote a letter addressing the University of Portland community. Here's the full text of his statement:
To the University of Portland community:
I am profoundly sorry for my opening monologue at the Wally's. The words I spoke and the language I used cannot be defended in anyway. The following apology along with my steadfast commitment to better myself are the words and promises the UP community deserves from me.
I said things that hurt many people in this community and I want to deeply apologize for that. When I wrote the script for the Wally's, I hoped to use self-deprecation and irony as a tool for sharing a few stories about my immigrant and diaspora experience. I realize now that it does not matter what was written in jest or what was said in sarcasm; the crux of the content was grossly inappropriate, and I am unquestionably in the wrong for that. There is absolutely no room for that rhetoric on our campus or within our community.
It truly breaks my heart to have caused pain to my peers because I did not pay attention to my own blind spots. I am committed to bettering myself and addressing those blindspots through discussions with my professors, peers, and community leaders. This language has no place on our campus, in our community, or in our world. The words I spoke should have no place in history, they should have no place in today, and more importantly I commit to ensuring they have no part in our future. I hope to become a better classmate, friend, son, brother, and person through this process.
I would, again, like to offer my sincerest apologies and express my deep remorse for my words at the Wally's.
– Goutham