High School Broadcaster Awarded $25 Million After Oklahoma Newspaper Wrongly Accuses Him Of Racism

A high school basketball broadcaster who was wrongly accused by Oklahoma's largest newspaper of making racist comments during a game has been awarded $25 million by a jury on grounds of defamation.

Scott Sapulpa was awarded $5 million in actual damages plus $20 million more in punitive damages by the jury in Muskogee County that determined The Oklahoman acted with malice.

The incident involving Sapulpa occurred back in 2021 when he and a man named Matt Rowan were on the call for the Norman-Midwest City girls high school basketball game. During the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,' broadcasters told listeners that they would return after a quick break.

Instead, one of the broadcasters was caught on a live mic cursing and saying a racial epithet when Norman players decided to kneel during the playing of the song.

"They're kneeling? F-ck them. I hope Norman gets their ass kicked,' one of the broadcasters said. 'They're going to kneel like that? Hell with them. They even saluting the flag? Some of them aren't. F--king (epithet)'

Rowan, the owner and operator of the live stream service the incident occurred on, told The Oklahoman that he was the person who made the insensitive comments. He blamed the moment on low 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. "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, however, ran its story naming Sapulpa as the man who made the racist remarks on the broadcast. According to the Daily Mail, the original story was published around 11 AM the day after the incident. At 12:37 PM Sapulpa was falsely identified in the story as the person who made the racist remarks before his name was removed just after 3:00 PM.

As a result of being falsely accused of making racist remarks, Sapulpa was placed on administrative leave, his teaching contract was not renewed, he lost clients from his private business, and reportedly received death threats after the fact.

"We’re just so happy for Scott. Hopefully this will vindicate his name," said Michael Barkett, Sapulpa’s attorney.

Sapulpa, a father, was happy to have his last name cleared.

"My kids, their last name is cleared, too," he explained after winning the trial.