UT-Chattanooga fires assistant coach Chris Malone after attacking Stacey Abrams

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Coaches always warn players and recruits about how dangerous social media can be to their future.

But nobody told Chattanooga football assistant coach Chris Malone. He lost his job on Thursday after he insulted Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams in a tweet he later deleted.

“Congratulations to the state GA and Fat Albert @staceyabrams because you have truly shown America the true works of cheating in an election, again!!! Enjoy the buffet Big Girl! You earned it!!! Hope the money was good, still not governor!” he wrote.

The school first verified it was Malone and then fired him. His bio has already been removed from the school’s athletics website.

“(Wednesday) night, a totally inappropriate social media post by a member of our football staff was brought to my attention,” Chattanooga athletic director Mark Wharton said in a statement. “The entire post was appalling. The sentiments in that post do not represent the values of our football program, our Athletics department or our University. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of the program.”

A one-time gubernatorial candidate, Abrams helped Georgia Democratic candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeat Republicans Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in the crucial Georgia Senate runoff elections this week. Abrams also played an important role in helping swing the state for Joe Biden in the presidential election.

Malone played on the offensive line for Virginia Tech in the 1990s and has coached at Old Dominion, James Madison, Virginia State and UMass. He was hired by Chattanooga in 2019 as its offensive line coach.

“Our football program has a clear set of standards,” Chattanooga head coach Rusty Wright said in a statement. “Those standards include respecting others. It is a message our players hear daily. It is a standard I will not [waver] on. What was posted on social media by a member of my staff is unacceptable and not any part of what I stand for or what Chattanooga Football stands for.

“Life is bigger than football and as leaders of young men, we have to set that example, first and foremost. With that said, effectively immediately, that individual is no longer a part of my staff.”

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