Vanderbilt Assistant Dan Jackson To 'Step Back' Amid Kanye Defense Controversy

Vanderbilt University defensive backs coach Dan Jackson will step away from the team while the school investigates a Facebook comment he made defending embattled rapper Kanye West.

According to The Tennessean, the Twitter account Stop Antisemitism drew attention to a comment Jackson made on Facebook.

Jackson started his comment by saying, "Kanye is two steps ahead of everyone. He's not crazy. People try to silence him because he thinks for himself."

The Vanderbilt assistant went on to say rappers and athletes are "taught to think the same as the media/politicians."

Given his antisemitic remarks, anything Kanye-related is radioactive. As such, Vanderbilt announced an investigation into the comment.

Athletic director Candice Lee released a statement on the matter,

"As a department, we understand and hear very clearly how this situation has impacted members of our community and those outside of Vanderbilt," the statement said. "Our internal review of the matter began immediately over the weekend, and I now want to provide an update."

Then, if there was any question as to where the school stood on the topics of antisemitism, racism, and discrimination, Lee made sure to clarify.

"To be clear, Vanderbilt rejects antisemitism, racism and discrimination in all its forms," the statement read. "Consistent with Vanderbilt’s process for addressing reports of discrimination, the matter has now been referred to our Equal Opportunity and Access office for review. It is important the university follow its standard process and conduct a thorough review of the complexities of this incident."

Lee finished the statement by confirming that Jackson would be stepping away from his position during the investigation.

Between his comment coming to attention and the investigation into them, Jackson was on the sidelines for the Commodores loss to the University of South Carolina.

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