C. Vivian Stringer Offers Condolences To Don Imus’ Family

Longtime Rutgers women’s basketball coach, C. Vivian Stringer, offered her condolences to the family of Don Imus. 

The late shock jock called Stringer’s Scarlet Knights team “nappy headed hos” during a broadcast in 2007. 

According to the New York Daily News, Stringer read from a prepared statement saying “prayers go out” to the family of Don Imus. He died last Friday at the age of 79. 

“The Rutgers family has found peace through the years, and we are proud of our response to the hateful words that he had years ago,” the Hall of Fame coach, said Tuesday. “As African-American women, we don’t feel that we should be treated ― or anyone else should be treated ― like that.”

Related: Twitter Reminds Don Imus Apologists Of His Racist Past

Imus was fired from CBS Radio and MSNBC in 2007 after his disgusting and racist remarks. But he rebounded quickly with a new deal later that year for national syndication of the new Imus in the Morning show. 

Imus met with Stringer and the team shortly after the incident and at the time Stringer accepted the apology. A position she still maintains today.

“He genuinely felt, I think, remorse for the words he said,” the 71-year-old coach said. “Everybody makes mistakes and says things that they shouldn’t say. I think that our players learned a lot from that, and I’m proud of them and our basketball team.”

Still, Stringer and the Rutgers program while they’ve moved on, were forever changed by that incident. 

“…to say that it didn’t hurt is not true,” Stringer said. “We accept it and we move forward.”