"Nobody has knocked him out yet?": TSU Professor fired after video of him screaming in student's face goes viral

TSU professor fired after screaming in student
TSU professor fired after screaming in student's face (Image via Google Images and theylovekennedi/Twitter)

A Tennessee State University teacher was fired after a video of him screaming in a student’s face went viral across social video. The history professor in question has since claimed that he tendered his resignation and has now "retired" from his role.

Ever since the video went viral, the educator has come under fire from netizens.

In the video, which has now gone viral, history professor Robert Evins Pickard was seen shouting at one of his students to leave the classroom. He was heard yelling- “I said, ‘What is your name?’” He added:

“Out! Get out! You have failed this course, whatever your name is! Out! Out! Out! Out!”

TSU released a statement after the matter went viral online. They announced that the educational institution does not tolerate such “unprofessional behavior” and that they have taken “swift action” against the teacher, stating that he has been terminated.


TSU releases official statement after viral video garners severe backlash

A video of the interaction was uploaded by Twitter user @theylovekennedi. At the time of writing this article, the video had gone viral with over 483.3k views and 8,903 likes. It continues to amass traction online.

They also stated that Pickard had been terminated. The statement read:

“TSU does not tolerate unprofessional behavior in its classrooms or otherwise directed at students… This incident runs afoul of the standard of behavior we expect from those charged with teaching and serving as role models for our students. The University has taken swift action, including personnel action, to address this incident and the faculty member shown in the video was immediately removed from the classroom and has been terminated.”

What are netizens saying?

Internet users condemned the professor’s behavior and felt sympathetic towards the student who was getting yelled at. A few tweets read:


Professor releases statement claiming that he resigned from his position

The history professor provided a statement to WSMV-TV on Tuesday, November 1. Pickard expressed regret over his actions and claimed that he was “under pressure” and “frustrated” with the students who were failing his classes.

He went on to apologize to the students and claimed to have offered his resignation and announced that he was retired. The official statement read:

“I deeply regret what happened in class. I lost my temper and did something I should never have done. I have been under pressure lately, and I have been frustrated with students who pay attention to their cellphones and laptops, then wonder why they get low grades… I apologized to the students and offered my resignation. I am now retired”

Unfortunately, the professor’s behavior does not come as a surprise to TSU students. On the Rate My Professors website, where students can anonymously review university professors, Pickard’s page was flooded with negative feedback. Some also stated that his students were set up for failure if they took his course.

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Meanwhile, the Kankakee School Board unanimously voted for a first-year math teacher to be terminated from his role after he was caught using a racial slur repeatedly against a 15-year-old Black student. He was also recorded throwing a book at the student earlier this year. The incidents caused massive outrage, leading to his ousting.

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Edited by Karishma Rao