Indie Wrestler Released From Promotions After Posting Racist TikTok Video
Independent Wrestler Jay Hunter was released from WWA4 and Victory Wrestling Association due to a racist video he posted on TikTok.
Hunter, real name Jeffrey Hume, filmed a video with fellow high school Stephanie Freeman posted to the social media platform. In the video, Hunter uses the N-word and refers to black people as specifically not having a father, robbing white people, eating watermelon and fried chicken, and spending a lot of time in jail. The 50-second clip was shared so many times that "Carrollton" was trending on Twitter by Friday morning.
WWA4, a promotion operated by AR Fox, released a statement on Twitter condemning Hunter's actions and severing ties with the young wrestler.
"We at The WWA4 do not condone racism," Fox wrote. "As of 4/16/2020 Jeffery Hume's (Jay Hunter) WWA4 membership was terminated. We pride ourselves on being diverse, welcoming everyone. We are utterly disappointed, appalled, and disgusted. We welcome all races, sexes, religions and creeds."
In addition, Victory Wrestling Association revealed they cut ties with the wrestler in a post on the company FaceBook page.
"Effective immediately, Jay Hunter (Jeffery Hume) has been released by VCW and will no longer appear on our programming moving forward," a representative of the company wrote. "VCW demands the highest standards of professionalism from our locker room. We are an equal opportunity employer and value the diversity, talent, and abilities of our wrestlers to provide family-friendly competition and entertainment to our fans at live events, TV, and on the Internet."
Not only was Hunter's professional life affected, but so was his personal life. Hunter and Freeman were seniors attending Carrollton High School in Georgia. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is reporting Hunter and Freeman were expelled from the school and will not be a part of 2020's graduating class.
In a statement, Carrollton City Schools Superintendent Mark Albertus said the students' behavior was unacceptable and "not representative of the district's respect for all people."
"The racist behavior observed in the video easily violates this standard," Albertus told the AJC. "They are no longer students at Carrollton High School."
You can see the statements from WWA4, VWA and Charrollton High School below:
? WWA4 Pro Wrestling School (@WWA4ATL) April 17, 2020
? Carrollton Schools (@trojansCCS) April 17, 2020