On Thursday night, a famous college football coach unexpectedly found himself in the political headlines.
It happened during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address when he appeared to mispronounce the name of a Georgia student who was allegedly murdered by a Venezuelan immigrant who entered the United States illegally.
Instead of saying the name of slain nursing student Laken Riley, he said “Lincoln Riley,” the head football coach at the University of Southern California.
“Lincoln Riley, an innocent woman killed by illegal aliens. Yes, thousands of people are killed by illegal aliens. My condolences to you, as I myself have lost a child. “Okay,” Biden said after being pressed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene to “tell me your name.”
Greene, a far-right Republican loyal to Donald Trump, attended the speech wearing a red Trump MAGA hat and a T-shirt emblazoned with the message, a phrase that has been popularized by activists since the death of George Floyd and others. It reminded me of the words used by. police hands.
She had stopped mid-speech when Biden started talking about border security. Specifically, Biden called on Congress to pass legislation to secure the border and modernize the country's outdated immigration laws, while also criticizing President Trump's opposition to it.
As boos and yells ensued, Biden finally reached under the podium and held out a button with Lakin Riley's name on it.
But that moment was an unusual and completely unplanned collision of sports and politics. Many of Biden's critics used the moment to mock the president, posting photos of Lincoln Riley on social media with the caption “Say his name.”
Former quarterback Lincoln Riley, known for his high-flying offense, is in his third season at USC. He has a 19-8 record with the Trojans after spending five seasons at Oklahoma.
