Under fire for remarks, Ohio State president bows out as Catholic-school graduation speaker
June 04, 2013
The president of Ohio State University has cancelled a scheduled appearance as a graduation speaker at a Catholic high school, after his remarks about Catholic priests at Notre Dame drew critical comments.
E. Gordon Gee said that he did not want the contrvoversy he had created to mar the graduation ceremonies at St. Francis de Sales High School, so he withdrew as speaker.
Gee had come under fire after remarks to the Ohio State Athletic Council in which he poked fun at rival schools. Speaking of Notre Dame, he said that priests there were reverent on Sundays but “holy hell” the other days of the week; he referred to the Notre Dame teams as “those damn Catholics.”
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Posted by: -
Jun. 05, 2013 10:50 AM ET USA
The news story says that Gee made his remarks at a meeting of the Ohio State Athletic Council. He was not speaking at an ecumenical gathering of churches or religious people. Athletics and the competition among schools calls for a different standard, which I don't see that Gee violated in the slightest. It was as if he were at a beach party, would we expect him to show up in a tux? I'm a Catholic my whole life, and I see no cause to take offense.
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Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Jun. 04, 2013 6:21 PM ET USA
That's "poking fun"? Ohio State should fire him either for disrespect or for not understanding humor.
