SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State President Robert Nelsen issued a statement condemning the behavior of an associate professor and his wife, caught on camera in a racially-charged confrontation with their neighbors.
The video, which originally appeared on Facebook on May 1, shows Associate Economics Professor Tim Ford and his wife, Crystal, shouting back and forth with their neighbors. On the video, Crystal Ford can be heard using the N-word and cursing at the neighbor, who was filming the altercation from inside her home.
“I’m a professor at Sac State, dude. I have a Ph.D. I don’t need to be dealing with s*** like this,” Ford says on the video.
Although the original video has since been deleted, copies are circulating on social media, prompting a response from the university.
In his statement Friday, Nelsen said, in part, “I am deeply offended by the language in the video. Racial epithets are repulsive and unacceptable. Personally, I am incredibly upset by the contents of the video and the harmful impact that it is having on our campus community.”
It is unclear what led up to the confrontation. ABC10 has reached out to Ford for comment on this article. His lawyer, Jonathan G. Stein, issued the following statement on the couples' behalf:
"These past few days have been very trying for me and my wife. While we’ve had difficulties with this neighbor, this particular confrontation got out of hand. My wife used some language that was unacceptable and does NOT represent my way of thinking. She recognizes the hurt and anger that she has caused and regrets it. Today, she is seeking help and has checked herself into a hospital for alcohol and drug abuse. Again, I would like to extend an olive branch to Mikaela Cobb and hope that she will accept my sincerest apology. I’d be happy to sit down with her to help rectify the situation. I’d also like to apologize to everyone at Sac State, our friends, family and the community at large and promise that something like this will never happen again."
CAUTION: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.
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