Bronson Harmon (left) placed fourth in California's state tournament in 2017 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)A California high school state tournament placer has lost his Cal Poly wrestling scholarship after video of him shown making an obscene gesture and a homophobic slur during a march last month surfaced on social media and was seen by the head wrestling coach of the Mustangs.
Bronson Harmon, a former wrestler at Oakdale High School near Modesto, Calif., had signed a National Letter of Intent last November to wrestle at California Polytechnic Institute in San Luis Obispo but the scholarship was withdrawn, Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman confirmed to the Modesto Bee on Tuesday.
Oberhelman did not comment on the reason Harmon's scholarship was revoked, but the move came just three days after video surfaced of Harmon yelling a homophobic slur and directing an obscene gesture at a participant of the Families Belong Together March in Modesto on June 30. After that moment was captured on video, Harmon was allegedly involved in a follow-up assault that led to a formal complaint being filed with the Modesto Police Department, according to spokeswoman Sharon Bear.
Brandon Harmon, who graduated from Oakdale High this spring, can be seen in a video posted online walking with his father Todd Harmon and a friend down a Modesto street carrying a sign that reads "Donald Trump 2016" during the Families Belong Together March.
Bronson HarmonHarmon confirmed to the Modesto paper that he learned the scholarship was being revoked in a July 2 phone call from Cal Poly wrestling coach Jon Sioredas after he had seen the video. Sioredas did not respond to the Modesto Bee's request for comment Tuesday.
"I totally regret it," Bronson Harmon told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. "I got caught up in the heat of the moment. I was there to peacefully protest the things that we believe and people were harassing us, spitting on us and calling us Nazis."
"Saying what I said is definitely not the right thing. I am supposed to be there to help the community be the best person I can be and represent the college the best way I can," Harmon continued. "But I still feel like my freedom of speech was taken away, and I don't think my scholarship should have been revoked over something like that."
Cal Poly AD Oberhelman said the offer of financial aid signed by all student athletes says the university can cancel aid for actions that could cause embarrassment to the school at the discretion of the athletic director.
In addition to the video posted on social media which the school cited as being reason for rescinding its scholarship offer, a complaint has been filed against Brandon Harmon for allegedly physically attacking a man at the protest. The wrestler claimed the man was trying to damage a tire of his dad's truck with a screwdriver. That individual -- who filed the complaint with Modesto police -- said he was shoved by the 18-year-old after he tried to pick up his screwdriver which he said he accidently dropped near the elder Harmon's truck.
The case has been forwarded to the district attorney's office for review. No charges have been filed and no arrests have been made as of Tuesday.
As a junior at Oakdale, Harmon compiled a 35-7 record and placed fourth in the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) state finals at 160 pounds after a first-place finish in the CIF-Sac-Joaquin Section Masters Meet. He did not wrestle for his school in the last part of his senior season after he had a falling out with the coach over which weight class he would wrestle in.
Despite having his wrestling scholarship revoked, Branson Harmon still plans to attend Cal Poly this fall, and concentrate on becoming a mixed martial arts fighter.
"I got accepted and they said I am welcome still," Harmon told the San Luis Obispo newspaper. "It's just that they can't be bringing all this publicity to athletics so I can't be involved with athletics."
This is not the first time a college wrestler has suffered the consequences of a homophobic social media post. In 2014, a Division I starter was suspended for anti-gay comments on Twitter. To learn more about the potential pitfalls of off-the-mat behavior -- including online comments -- check out InterMat's "Matmen Behaving Badly?" in-depth feature.
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