'People are too hyper-sensitive': Member of Jamaican bobsled team calls coach to say he was FLATTERED by blackface Cool Runnings costume

Devon Harris calls San Diego football coach suspended over Halloween costume

Olympian says team who inspired film had not been offended by blackface outfits

One of Jamaica's bobsled Olympians has come to the defense of the San Diego football coaches who were suspended after they blacked up for Halloween.



Devon Harris, whose exploits during the 1988 winter Olympics inspired the film Cool Runnings, said he was flattered the high school coaches had dressed as the team.

The Olympian turned motivational speaker even contacted Serra High head football coach Brian Basteyns to tell him the team had not been offended by his costume.

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Inspiration: Devon Harris and his teammates were immortalized in the film Cool Runnings, above

' I said to him "Listen, I think the only people you need to be worried about offending are the guys on the sled and at least three of us, cause I didn’t speak to Michael White about this, but certainly three of us are by no means offended",' Harris said.

Flattered: Devon Harris called one of the coaches to tell him the team had not been offended

Basteyns had been suspended for two days without pay, along with assistant coach Harold Seeley and a teacher after a civil rights groups complained about their costume, according to Fox 5.



The coaches had blacked up and wore Jamaican bobsled outfits in a picture that was posted to Basteyns' Facebook page.



Harris, who went on to compete in the 1992 and 1998 Winter Olympics, said he and two of his fellow teammates had not been offended, and complained that people were 'hyper sensitive' when it came to racism.

He added: 'People are simply hyper sensitive when it comes down to race and racism ... every time we brush up on anything race or ethnic, people just go off the deep end.'

Coach Basteyns confirmed he had spoken to Harris but declined to speak further about it.

The image was posted on Bastenys’ Facebook page over the weekend, but has since been removed.

On his account, Mr Seeley posted Monday: ‘I am absolutely mind boggled right now. He who is without sin shall cast the first stone.’ The message was accompanied by a sad-face emoticon and the hashtag ‘feeling disappointed.’

Bad idea: A pair of high school football coaches (second left and far right) from California are under fire after posing for a photo dressed as Jamaican bobsledders in blackface

Role models: Head football coach Brian Bastenys, left, and assistance coach Harold Seeley, right, were suspended without pay for two days



Parent Sally Smith, who was among the first to spot the offending picture online, has called for Bastenys to be fired.



‘This is just the tip of the iceberg,’ she told Fox5 San Diego. ‘This behavior of dressing in blackface shows disrespect and poor judgment.’

Witnesses had told 10News they saw the coaches in blackface, Jamaican-flag leotards and yellow helmets during a game on Saturday last week.

San Diego Unified School Board trustee John Lee Evans said on Tuesday that he has not seen the photo, but had been informed about the incident, which is currently under investigation.

‘If there is inappropriate behavior, that needs to be dealt with by the superintendent and her staff,’ Mr Evans said. ‘We take these situations very seriously because we hold our employees to a very high standard.’

Official response: San Diego Unified School Board is investigating the actions of the two Serra High School coaches

Parents and students in the district were divided in their response to the costumes.

Some members of the Serra High School community decried the coaches’ alleged lapse in judgment, while others came to their defense, saying they were clearly just having fun.