Marcus Smart is going to receive the brunt of the attention for going into the stands to shove a fan during Oklahoma State’s loss at Texas Tech on Saturday, but the fan who instigated the incident needs to be identified and called out in the same manner.
The fan Smart went after is Jeff Orr, a 1983 Texas Tech graduate who is known for being one of the most passionate fans of the Red Raiders. An article was written about him in 2010 talking about how dedicated he is to the basketball and football programs. The guy drives roundtrip from Waco to Lubbock for games and puts on thousand of miles a year following the team around. But he’s not just some lovable fan who travels to watch his team; he actually has a reputation for getting himself involved in the action in inappropriate manners.
John Lucas III, who played for Baylor and Oklahoma State in college (both were conference opponents of Texas Tech) and is now with the Utah Jazz, tweeted Saturday that he recognized the fan as soon as he saw the video of Smart:
I just saw the video that same fan was at the games talking crazy even when I was in school I don't forget a face he says a lot of crazy ish
— John Lucas III (@Luke1luk) February 9, 2014
Out of his mouth when u are in the game. And he is a grown man talking to kids the way he does
— John Lucas III (@Luke1luk) February 9, 2014
Then there’s this video, which shows Orr giving a Texas A&M player the f— you gesture in a separate incident:
So what did Orr say to set off Smart? The Cowboys guard supposedly was heard saying Orr called him the N-word.
Radio analyst John Holcomb confirms what he said on air: He heard Marcus Smart say the fan called him the n-word.
— Kelly Hines (@KellyHinesTW) February 9, 2014
However, Orr supposedly denies saying that.
CBS Sports’ Doug Gottlieb, who is a former Oklahoma State player, shared text messages he says Orr sent to a friend of his, who is a Texas Tech fan:
Text convo from my Tech friend w/Orr- Orr is Tech's biggest fan-everyone knows him, he goes to every game pic.twitter.com/1ZlN6gAdz3
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) February 9, 2014
"wasn't vulgar or the N Word" another text from Orr – #MarcusSmart
— Doug Gottlieb (@GottliebShow) February 9, 2014
I have a hard time believing Orr in this situation. He’s in the national spotlight now and would probably never admit to saying something so despicable.
There are even more examples of racial heckling from Tech fans.
Former Oklahoma State player Desmond Mason said he was called the N-word every time he played in Lubbock.
Some things are hard to ignore, BUT no excuses! Deal with your consequences. I was called the N word EVERY game I played in Lubbock!
— D.Mason (@dmasonart) February 9, 2014
I agree with Mason. You can’t let fan heckling get to you. If all athletes went after every disrespectful, name-calling fan out there, games would have to be halted before halftime because of all the fights. Athletes need to be above that and usually are.
But I did want to post this not to excuse Smart, but because I believe Orr needs to receive attention for what he has done. Being a passionate fan doesn’t give him the right to say whatever he wants. He seems to be a sick fan who goes way too overboard in support of his team.
