Patrick Kinahan: Racist overtones on Sitake's intelligence cross line

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PROVO — To no surprise, the cesspool that often is social media has gone beyond the bounds of decency relative to the slumping BYU football program.

As it pertains to Kalani Sitake, anonymous posters are questioning the coach's intelligence. Intentional or not, which it probably isn't, the unsubstantiated assertion reeks of stereotypically racist overtones.

With the Cougars mired in a four-game losing streak and in danger of finishing with a losing record, the fan base is understandably frustrated and demanding accountability. As is often the case in these situations, there is no shortage of blame directed at the coaches and players.

Criticism is fair game for a team that started 4-1 and reached a national ranking of No. 16. But since beating Wyoming, the Cougars have bottomed out, literally looking defenseless and uninspired in multiple losses.

Sandwiched in between losses to Notre Dame and East Carolina, the defense offered little resistance in embarrassing performances against Arkansas and Liberty. Both teams collectively amassed 1,191 yards of total offense and combined for 96 points.

Flame away all you want, BYU diehards. The winless month of October was beyond brutal, made even more pathetic by the number of times the team struggled to put the right number of players on the field.

The offense has floundered along with the defense. Short yardage situations have been especially awful, lowlighted by failing on a fourth down against East Carolina and then inadvertently snapping the ball on a similar situation against Arkansas.

The repeated failures reflect poorly on the coaching staff, as Sitake and his assistants would freely admit. Disorganization and confusion are glaring signs of inadequate preparation.

Keeping in mind all of this, attacking Sitake's overall intelligence is bad form and demands a heightened sensitivity to the situation. This rings even more true for a fan base and academic institution that has been slapped with a reputation of racism that dates back decades.

Don't bother arguing the validity of the racist claims. Whether justified or not, and certainly not all are, they will continue to dog BYU.

Broaching the coach's intelligence is akin to throwing an entire forest of trees on the fire. As a proud Tongan, he has fought his entire adult life to overcome the negative stereotypes Polynesians often encounter trying to climb the career ladder.

Sitake, whose family immigrated to the United States when he was a child, is the first Tongan to become a collegiate football head coach. In a powerful sense, his success represents an entire culture that desires an opportunity.

For sure, with three games left, BYU is winding down a disappointing season. As occurred after the 4-9 season in 2017, expect changes to the coaching staff in the offseason.

But remember, this is the same head coach whose team went 5-0 against the Pac-12 last season and won 21 games over the last two years. Nobody called him dumb after BYU snapped a nine-game losing streak to Utah last season.

Suddenly, some believe Sitake is stupid. Was Bronco Mendenhall's intelligence called into question when BYU sputtered to a 7-6 record under his watch as the head coach in 2010? Yeah, didn't think so.

Believe it, the BYU coaches are aware of the criticism of Sitake's IQ. They bristle at it, wanting to lash out at the gutless keyboard warriors who hide behind monikers on fan sites.

The coaches must keep silent, unable to draw attention to the silly claims. Fortunately, the unwritten decorum doesn't apply to everyone.

Former BYU assistant Guy Holliday called out the naysayers on Twitter. He wrote to the fans, saying: "I'm all for criticism but to say (Sitake) has low football IQ or other insults about his intelligence is out of line. If you have never talked ball with him, ease up. You have no idea his level of intelligence or FB IQ."

Former BYU linebacker Isaiah Kaufusi went after an internet post that claimed Sitake "wasn't what you would consider one of the sharpest tools in the shed." He posted on Twitter: "Great insight here. Sounds like this guy has sat in team meetings, position meetings, and been coached by Kalani and the staff. If you haven't done any of those things, it might be better to keep your comments to yourself."