A Twitter account purportedly belonging to the wife of outgoing NCAA president Mark Emmert turned heads when it surfaced on Wednesday morning.
The account, whose handle is @DeEmmert and goes by the display name "DeLaine," appears to be run by DeLaine Emmert, the wife of longtime NCAA president Mark Emmert, who is stepping down this year after assuming the role in 2010.
The account's questionable content was flagged by university instructor, podcast host and journalist Nathan-Kalman Lamb.
In one post, the account complains to CNN about white men being "erased" from the network and calls on "everyone" to be included, using the hashtag "#whitemales."
"@cnnbrk we need to include all #races on our #tv screen. , but #white makes on #CNN HAVE BEEN #erased. Anybody else see this? #commercials too. #overreaction #include everyone including #whitemales"
Kalman-Lamb responded by criticizing the NCAA's "plantation dynamics" in a quote-tweet.
"This is quite something from the wife of outgoing NCAA President Mark Emmert. Not terribly surprising that college sport is defined by plantation dynamics when this is the attitude of those at the top. #whitemales"
In separate posts, the DeLaine account uses the pro-police slogan "#BlueLine," while also railing against the $15 minimum wage, unions, "Marxism" and "cancel culture."
In response to a tweet from US Senator Patty Murray calling for controls on the costs of health care, housing, and child care, "DeLaine" tells Murray to "Stop rewarding laziness!"
While the tweets are ultimately benign in the sense that "DeLaine" is not the president of the NCAA, and everyone is entitled to their opinions, it's nonetheless a revealing glimpse at the unvarnished, reactionary thoughts of a powerful figure's spouse at a crucial moment for both the NCAA and, indeed, the country at large.
Meanwhile, Mark Emmert is set to resign his post after presiding over what has been an especially tumultuous period for the NCAA, particularly with respect to its relationship with student-athletes.
After decades of legal battles, college athletes finally won the right to profit off their name, image and likeness after a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2021. Compensation for student-athletes was, and continues to be, widely opposed by most of the NCAA's leadership and some of college sports' most powerful athletic directors and coaches.
NIL deals, along with the transfer portal that allows student-athletes to change schools at the end of each season, have combined to give players an unprecedented degree of leverage.
Emmert, who signed a contract extension in early 2021 that would have kept him in his job through 2025, abruptly announced his resignation in April 2022, fueling speculation that he was forced out on account of the NIL development.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has been elected to succeed Emmert as NCAA president.
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